Non formal learning outside school hours, or Study Support as it is known in the UK, is universally recognised as a key tool which cements a child’s formal curriculum learning, through non formal out of hours learning programmes. Although the UK has developed systems at national level to ensure consistency and quality in delivery, similar efforts in Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Spain, vary dramatically due to lack of local, regional or national co-ordination, support and funding. In many cases the initiative is supported by private schools. In spite of this within each of these countries there is recognition at national level that a programme of non formal learning should be implemented (or re-implemented) in order to raise pupil achievement. No Child Left Behind has spent the past eighteen months investigating the provision of, and teaching approaches to study support within the partner countries; compared strengths and weaknesses and agreed a series of good practices which are internationally exchangeable and available to you.

The training programme, entitled “ Learning Outside School Hours: a non formal learning tool kit” offers a structure containing imaginative and flexible methodologies including latest ICT technologies, and good practice examples from partner countries in order to help practitioners (teachers, trainers and individuals) to produce an enriched and more stimulating curriculum for their own schools or organisations. The training programme also incorporates an appreciation of the European dimension of culture.

The training kit was scrutinised by an organisation experienced in teacher training at national level. The results from this were then fed back to the partners who made adjustments to the training kit. The training course was then piloted locally throughout each partner country via trainers and individuals identified by the partners as suitable for the pilot. The training kit was then evaluated by a process of feedback from the trainees, the tutor and an independent observer in each situation. The partners then agreed to what degree the programme was achieving its objectives, and made adjustments to the programme in line with recommendations. This included recommendations on the nature of support materials needed to successfully run the course. The next process involved the partners in producing draft support materials. The revised version of the kit was assessed by an expert practitioner of non formal learning in the UK before the final product was adopted. The training kit and the support materials including the handbook can be accessed through this website in English, Spanish, Lithuanian, Romanian and Polish languages.

The training kit was formally launched in November 2009 and a number of copies are available on CD Rom accompanied by the handbook in the languages of the partner countries. The dissemination has been an ongoing process and exploitation process will use known local regional and national networks via each partner and the project’s website to inform and engage the wider public.

Further information can be had from Nish Vaithilingam (Programme Coordinator).

Click here to view the online version of the training kit.