PHF funded supplementary schools for over 14 years through its Education and Learning Programme. From 2007-15, we had a specific focus on supplementary education and awarded 60 grants under this theme, totalling £5,058,600. We estimate that the funded work has directly benefited over 22,000 children and young people across England, and continues to do so.
The Programme supported supplementary schools to improve the quality and range of their activities, and develop stronger partnerships with mainstream schools. PHF also helped to establish the National Resource Centre for Supplementary Education (NRCSE) in 2007, providing core funding with the Department for Education and Skills and enabling it to develop its quality assurance scheme.
Following a review of PHF’s Education and Learning Programme in 2011, and in response to a decline in support and funding for supplementary schools, the Foundation’s trustees decided to undertake some additional work to strengthen the sustainability of its supplementary school grantees and the wider sector. These included:
Workshops to enable current supplementary school grantees to share good practice and consultancy support for a small number of supplementary school grantees to strengthen their sustainability.
A research study into the impact of supplementary schools on children’s attainment in mainstream education. This research focused on areas outside London and included pupils from seven local authority areas: Coventry, Leeds, Lincolnshire, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Nottingham and Sheffield. It aimed to complement a similar 2012 study published by the John Lyons Charity which focused on London supplementary schools. The report was published in 2015 and is available here.
A series of seven case studies of supplementary schools demonstrating relatively strong models for maintaining financial stability. A summary of these case studies was published in June 2015 and more detailed versions of each of the case studies are available below.
Kerala Community Supplementary School case study
Bright Education Centre case study
STAR Communities First case study
Westway Development Trust case study
Hua Hsia Chinese School case study
Afghan Association Paiwand case study
Shpresa Programme case study
A grant to the Royal Society of the Arts (RSA) to investigate the role of supplementary schools in supporting black and minority ethnic children and young people to achieve well and make successful transitions to adulthood, from school to further and higher education and employment.
Since 2015, PHF no longer has a specific focus on supplementary education. However, it is hoped that these resources will provide a lasting legacy for the sector and support its longer term sustainability.
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