Page 43 - HAPPEN BOOKLET

42
HAPPEN School Health Network

20 - Pyramid clubs

Pyramid clubs support children aged 7 to 14 who are shy, quiet, withdrawn or anxious to
build friendships and create confidence.

What does the project entail?

Pyramid clubs normally run after school, once a week for ten weeks, for a specially-selected
group of children, using a model developed by the University of West London. Activities at
the club include art and craft, games, food and circle time and can be adapted to meet the
specific interests and needs of the group of children, and to the facilities available. Clubs
are led by trained club leaders who can be volunteers or school staff. They normally run for
a single year group of children, although they can ran for adjacent year groups.

What is required from the School?

The school will need to identify children who would benefit from the club, using the
Goodman’s Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire which the University will supply as an
Excel spreadsheet, and obtain parental permission for the child’s involvement. The school
will also need to identify people to run the groups and ensure that they have received the
Pyramid Club Leader training: training must be provided by an Approved Pyramid Trainer. A
suitable room will be needed to run the club, and a resource box put together (or access to
existing resources within the school, mainly art and craft or games items). The University
will provide all the templates needed (e.g. for permissions) and activity packs for the
relevant age group – primary, transition to secondary and secondary.

How do the pupils directly benefit?

Children develop social skills through practising them, and Pyramid clubs offer the ideal
environment to do that – they are fun, safe places, where trained Club Leaders can
challenge and support children and young people as they develop more appropriate
responses to their peers and the problems they face in their lives. Because they run as
after-school clubs there is no stigma attached to attending, and the activities are designed
to appeal to the relevant age group so attendance at the groups is high. The improvements
seen in the smaller club group finds its way into the classroom, and children often develop
lasting friendships as a result of attending the group. Pyramid clubs are included in the Early
Intervention’s (eif.org.uk) Guidebook as a validated intervention to support children’s social
and emotional development, and there is a lot of published evidence to support their
impact: an evaluation is carried out on each club, using the Goodman’s Questionnaire to
measure improvements and to identify any remaining areas of need.