Lead an extra-curricular activity
Overview
Who is this unit for?
This unit is for those who provide extra-curricular opportunities for children and young people to develop their skills and talents, e.g. through sporting, musical, artistic, creative, intellectual or linguistic activities.
What is this unit about?
This unit is about leading an extra-curricular activity, such as a club, recreational activity, sports team or performing arts activity, under the direction of the school but with limited supervision.
This unit contains four elements:
1. Prepare children and young people for the activity
2. Introduce children and young people to the activity
3. Lead the activity
4. Maintain and encourage effective working relationships during the activity
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
Prepare children and young people for the activity
P1 help the children/young people to feel welcome and at ease
P2 follow your school's procedures for checking the children/young people present
P3 make sure the children/young people's dress and equipment are safe and appropriate
P4 organise the children/young people so that you can communicate effectively with them
P5 explain the aims and content of the session to the children/young people P6 find out if the children/young people have any relevant experience you
could build on
P7 make sure the children/young people are mentally and physically prepared for the planned activities
Introduce children and young people to the activity
P8 explain and demonstrate key points to the children/young people, using methods appropriate to their age, stage of development and needs
P9 emphasise the importance of, and reasons for, these key points to the children/young people
P10 encourage the children/young people to ask questions
P11 answer the children/young people's questions helpfully and clearly
P12 check that the children/young people understand what you want them to do
P13 motivate the children/young people to take part without putting them under undue stress
Lead the activity
P14 make sure the children/young people are following your instructions throughout the activity
P15 develop the activity at a pace suited to the children/young people and in a way that meets its aims
P16 give the children/young people clear and supportive feedback at appropriate points
P17 provide the children/young people with additional explanations and demonstrations when necessary
P18 encourage the children/young people to say how they feel about the activity and respond to their feelings appropriately
P19 vary the activity to meet new needs and opportunities
P20 encourage and support the children/young people to identify what learning they can transfer to areas of their school curriculum and/or other areas of their life
Maintain and encourage effective working relationships during the activity
P21 communicate and interact with the children/young people in a way that is appropriate to their age, stage of development and needs
P22 establish and maintain a relationship with the children/young people consistent with the situation and ethical requirements
P23 give adequate attention to each child/young person in the group, according to their needs
P24 encourage effective communication and interpersonal skills between the children/ young people
P25 encourage and support the children/young people to consider the impact of their behaviour on others, themselves and their environment
P26 highlight and praise types of behaviour that have a positive effect on the group as a whole
P27 identify and challenge inappropriate behaviour in a way that maintains the emotional welfare of the children/young people and follows agreed
procedures
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
K1 the values or codes of practice relevant to the activity
K2 the requirements for health and safety that are relevant to the activity,
e.g. the school's health and safety policies and procedures, the Health and Safety at Work Act and requirements for activities in the scope of the national governing bodies for sports, where these are relevant
K3 the aims and content of the activity you are leading
K4 the plans for the activity you are leading, including health and safety procedures
K5 the impact that the activities you are leading could have on the environment and how to minimise this impact
K6 why recording attendance may be important in some contexts
K7 participant dress and equipment required for the activity you are leading K8 the importance of being able to communicate clearly with children and
young people according to their age, stage of development and needs K9 how to communicate clearly with both individuals and groups of children
and young people
K10 why it is important to explain the aims and content of the session
K11 why it is important to find out about children and young people's previous experience
K12 why children and young people may need to be mentally and physically prepared for the activity they will be involved in
K13 the methods you should use when preparing children and young people mentally and physically for the activities they will be involved in
K14 the key points that must be explained to children and young people before they begin the activity
K15 methods you can use to explain and demonstrate key points K16 the importance of encouraging question-and-answer sessions
K17 the types of questions or problems that children and young people may have about the activity
K18 methods you can use to make sure children and young people understand what you want them to do
K19 situations in which you may need to give children and young people extra motivation
K20 different methods you can use to motivate children and young people without putting undue pressure on them
K21 how to supervise the children/young people during the activity K22 when and when not to intervene in an activity
K23 the importance of the children and young people receiving clear and supportive feedback on what they have achieved
K24 how to gauge children and young people's feelings about activities and
how to respond to these
K25 the importance of adapting your plans and methods to meet each child/young person's individual needs
K26 why and how you should support children and young people to transfer what they have learned to other contexts
K27 legal requirements and ethical codes that affect your relationship with children and young people
K28 why each child/young person should receive adequate attention
K29 ways of working that encourage communication and interaction between children and young people and between children and young people and yourself
K30 how to balance the needs of individual children/young people with those of the group as a whole
K31 the importance of encouraging children and young people to communicate and relate effectively with others
K32 types of behaviour that have a positive and negative effect on the group and why you should highlight these
K33 the school's policies for the care, welfare, discipline and attendance of children and young people, including the promotion of positive behaviour
K34 the agreed strategies for dealing with inappropriate behaviour K35 methods and procedures for dealing with conflict
K36 the record-keeping procedures you must follow
Scope/range
Scope Performance
Scope Knowledge
Values
Behaviours
Skills
Glossary
Aims
those which were set for the activity during the planning stage and agreed with the school
Inappropriate behaviour
behaviour which conflicts with the accepted values and beliefs of the school and society. Inappropriate behaviour may be demonstrated through speech, writing, non-verbal behaviour or physical abuse
Children and young people
children or young people you work with
Environment
the area in which the activity takes place; this could be an indoor facility or an outdoor environment
Ethical
following the values statement for your area of work
Feedback
providing children and young people with information and guidance on what they are doing, learning and achieving
Key points
aspects of the activity that children and young people need to know and understand before starting, including:
1. health and safety
2. rules for behaviour
3. skills and techniques
4. use of equipment
5. environmental protection
Physically and mentally prepared
participants being able to undertake the activity without unnecessary physical or emotional stress or risk of injury
Links To Other NOS
Origin of this unit
This is a new unit developed specifically for supporting teaching and learning in schools. It is derived from unit D22 from the National Occupational Standards for Activity Leadership developed by SkillsActive but has been extended to cover a wider range of extra-curricular activities which might be
provided for children and young people and is not directly transferable.