Opinion: Why universities need to support activities beyond the classroom

For many young people it is not what happens within the classroom that holds them back, but the things they don’t have access to when they are outside school that stops them reaching their potential. Academic achievement is, of course, important, but there is so much more that children from more affluent backgrounds have access to that helps them develop social capital and the skills that help them to succeed.

As the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite, fewer young people will have access to the wide range of opportunities that allow them to discover more about themselves, make mistakes and develop their awareness of the wider world.

Schools see the value of extracurricular activities, but often do not have the capacity to provide a breadth of activities within the school.

There is strong evidence that it is very hard for young people to become “what that they can’t see”. Therefore, the greater their exposure to many different activities, the more likely they are to be able to develop clear life goals – and in-turn, helping to increase their attainment and improve their life chances.

Given the constraints on resources in schools, I believe that universities have a key role to play in developing the “beyond the classroom” offer that young people can access regardless of their geographical location or financial situation. This should be seen as a part of their civic responsibility to their region.

An example of this is the Children’s University (CU). Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Sheffield have been working with the Children’s University to expand their coverage to include the whole of South Yorkshire. The CU is a fantastic vehicle that connects young people to opportunities. The CU also provides a key role in quality assuring the learning opportunities to ensure that young people are able to access high quality experiences, often free to the individual.

Our vision is that every young person across South Yorkshire is engaged with the CU so that they can access the full range of opportunities to support their development and enable them to go on to combine this with their academic achievement so that they can reach their full potential.

This vision and model could easily be replicated through partnerships between universities and organisations supporting extracurricular activities across the country.

The CU recognises the importance of extracurricular experience and has developed a way of connecting young people to learning destinations. The way in which CU records and celebrates what young people do is key. This helps to show both to individuals and schools the clear link between these activities and the success of the young person in the school setting.

A 2017 evaluation by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) shows a direct link between participation in CU and increased attainment in reading and maths. Children in CU schools made two additional months’ progress in reading and maths compared to children in the other schools. For those on Free School Meals this was three months. Small improvements were also seen for a range of non-cognitive outcomes, such as teamwork, social responsibility, and aspirations. These results provide evidence that well-supported enrichment activities can improve children’s academic and non-cognitive outcomes.

However much we level up the academic offer in schools, unless we level up access to “beyond the classroom” activities, our young people from less well-off backgrounds will continue to lag behind their more affluent peers who have access to a wide range of activities and appreciate the important part these activities play in their overall development. We believe that universities and organisations like the Children’s University have a critical role to play in opening up opportunities to all young people, regardless of their background – and ensuring extracurricular activity moves from useful adjunct, to critical piece of a young person’s educational future.