Curriculum Enrichment Activities

Short summary

EDUGEP Curriculum Enrichment is a complete service for Educational Communities. Its project of organizing Curriculum Enrichment Activities is based on a professional organization that responds to the schools' needs, carried out by highly qualified professionals. EDUGEP develops Curriculum Enrichment Activities in schools articulating that service with management school boards and parent associations. It is a project that aims to complement the curriculum in schools with sports activities, art or languages, identified by the school management and are directed for the primary school students.

The Family Support Component allows parents and guardians to leave children in school with extended follow-up before and after school schedules, so it allows them to ensure the monitoring and supervision of learners at a compatible time with their work.

The Family Support and Animation Activities are aimed at children between 3 and 6 years old and allow parents and guardians, maintaining their children in an educational environment by an adjusted price to their financial conditions.

Context of good practice

Ordinance 644-A / 2015 regulates what Decree-Law No. 139/2012 of July 5th establishes, namely that, within their autonomy, the school clusters in the 1st cycle of the basic education, develop curriculum enrichment activities, optional for students, with a formative, cultural and playful nature, which complement the components of the curriculum. Thus, each elementary school guarantees the offer of a variety of activities that it considers relevant for the integral formation of its students and articulates with the families an adequate occupation of the non-teaching times.

The family support component in the 1st cycle of basic education is another dimension that needs to be ensured. The concern of the Ministry of Education and Science is to ensure the monitoring of students of this level of education in periods that go beyond the curricular component and during periods of academic interruption. The family support component should be organized to tighten the commitment between the school, the students' families and the local community.

On the other hand, in preschool education, it is necessary to ensure monitoring of children before and after the period of educational activities and during periods of interruption of these activities.

Bearing in mind the need to guarantee the quality of the activities curriculum enrichment, as well as the support component for activities and family support activities, this Ordinance aims to regulate the rules of organization and operation of schools and their offerings.

Animation and family support activities are preferably implemented by the municipalities under the cooperation protocol of 28 July 1998 between the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity and the National Association of Municipalities. Portuguese, under the Program for the Expansion and Development of Preschool Education, without prejudice to the possibility of their being developed by parent’s associations, private social solidarity institutions or other entities that promote this kind of social responsibility.

Animation and family support activities are planned by the competent bodies of school clusters, taking into account the needs of students and families, articulating with the municipalities of their area in accordance with the cooperation protocol.

The Family Support Component is the set of activities designed to ensure the follow-up of primary school students before and or after curriculum and Curriculum Enrichment Activities components as well as during periods of school interruption.

The Family Support Component is implemented by municipalities, parent associations, private social welfare institutions or other entities such as EDUGEP that promote this type of social response, in agreement with the school clusters.

In the act of enrolment or renewal of enrolment in the 1st cycle of basic education, the head of the school group ensures the consultation of the parents to determine the need to offer the Family Support Component.

Curriculum enrichment activities are intended for students of the 1st cycle of basic education and are the activities of an optional nature and eminently playful, formative and cultural, focusing in particular on sports, artistic, scientific and technological, promoting the school's connection with the environment, solidarity and volunteering and the European dimension in education. 

Curriculum enrichment activities are mandatory and free of charge, and registration is optional. Once students are enrolled in the activities, the parents/guardians undertake that their students attend them until the end of the school year, in compliance with the duty of attendance enshrined in the Student Statute and School Ethics, approved by Law no. 51/2012, of September 5th.

These activities should be adapted to the school context to strike a balance between the interests of the students, the education and profile of the professionals who provide them and the material and immaterial resources of each territory.

It is up to the General Council of the school cluster to decide on the areas of offer of Curriculum Enrichment Activities and to determine the respective daily and weekly durations, upon the opinion of the Pedagogical Council and consultation of the promoting entity, such as EDUGEP.

It is the responsibility of the General Council, on a proposal from the Pedagogical Council, to define the mechanisms for assessing learning in Curriculum Enrichment Activities.

EDUGEP, as a promoter of the above-mentioned activities, establishes a collaboration protocol, following the draft provided by the respective services of the Ministry of Education, with the respective school cluster, identifying:

a) The activities;

b) The weekly duration of each activity;

c) The place or places of operation of each activity;

d) The responsibilities and competencies of each party;

e) Number of students in each activity;

f) The human resources necessary for the operation of the activities.

The competent bodies of the school groups participate in the selection of professionals to be affected by EDUGEP, which must collect and provide to the competent services of the Ministry of Education, through a computer platform, the information regarding the human resources profile hired by it. Hired professionals must have professional or specialized training appropriate to the development of the scheduled activities and the age group of the target audience or curriculum vitae relevant for this purpose. It is up to the head of the school cluster, taking into consideration the candidate's profile, the nature of the activity to be carried out and the school cluster's educational project, whether or not to consider the curriculum vitae as relevant.

EDUGEP receives a financial contribution from the Ministry of Education. The calculation of the financial contribution is made according to the number of students enrolled per activity and the number of hours of activity offered during the school year. The maximum annual financial contribution shall be EUR 150 per pupil of the 1st and 2nd grades and EUR 90 per pupil of the 3rd and 4th grades.

The amount of the financial contribution granted, the purpose for which it is intended and the specific obligations to which the promoter is subject are set out in a program contract to be concluded between the Ministry of Education and EDUGEP each year.

Main characteristics of the challenge, description of the target group

The needs of working people have of support to look after their children for them to be able to work and being out of their homes for about 12 hours, sometimes more than that.

Success factors and processes

Step-by-step description of main activities from beginning to end, and conclusions:

1. Preparation: identifying the problem and outlining resolution (necessary tools, etc.) 

Within the school’s self-evaluation practices it is identified the needs of each educational organisation for all educational services, including the activities described above. 

2. Description of main activities; the approach used (necessary tools, timeframe, etc.)

EDUGEP has been provided Family Support Activities in the Barreiro School Cluster, Álvaro Velho School Cluster, Santo António School Cluster and Palmela Cluster (Aires Elementary School). Activities were promoted in the areas of Dance, Skating, Judo, English, Dramatic Expression, Musical Expression, Yoga (Childhood Yoga) and Karate (Barreiro Karate Association).

The Curriculum Enrichment Activities developed in the Barreiro School Grouping were Chess, Musical Expression, Computer Science, Programming, Dance, Traditional Games; In the José Saramago School Grouping, Expressive Play Activities, Physical and Sports Activities, English; In the Álvaro Velho School Grouping, Experimental Science, Chess, Expressive Play, Musical Expression, Yoga, English, Physical Activity and Sports activities were developed; In the Palmela School Grouping were developed activities of Experimental Sciences, Music Teaching, Expressive Play Activities, Physical and Sports Activity, Movement and Drama, English; In the Santo António School Grouping, Experimental Sciences, Music Teaching, Expressive Play, Physical and Sports Activity, Movement and Drama, English, Traditional Games, Programming, Expressive Play, Chess, Musical Expression, Plastic Expression were developed. ; In the Augusto Cabrita School Grouping were developed the activities of Plastic Expression, Musical Expression, Traditional Games; In the Luísa Todi School Grouping were developed Physical and Sports Activity, Book and Reading Animation, Experimental Sciences, Musical Expression, Computer Science, English, Dance; In the Bocage School Grouping were developed Physical and Sports Activity, Book and Reading Animation, Plastic Expression, Musical Expression, Yoga, English, Informatics, Movement and Drama, Experimental Sciences, Dance; and in the Mario Beirão School Grouping were developed Physical and Sports Activity, Arts, Music, Movement and Drama Workshop.

3. Useful competencies of a problem-solving team to reach main aim (necessary tools, etc.)

The team as to be composed by qualified staff as in the area of the activities implemented as in working with 1st cycle children.

4. What is the estimated timeframe of implementation? Is this a quick solution or a long-term investment? When is it recommended to be carried out?

During the school year and with no end in sight as it is inscribed in national educational policy, depending on EDUGEP's ability to continue to offer this service and the schools' assessment of the quality of the services provided. 

5. How is this a systems change? 

Systematic change is, in fact, the result of those activities being provided within the scope of a national educational policy.

Impact of measures taken

Main changes and their impact on target groups (e.g.: changes in mindset, attitudes, etc.)

EDUGEP provided, in the 2018/2019 school year, Curriculum Enrichment Activities in 9 School Clusters (43 Schools) involving a total of 248 Classes, 5799 Students and 189 teachers; In the Family Support Component, it provided 10 different types of activities, involving a total of 280 students and 10 teachers; In the 2017/2018 school year, numbers increased in Curriculum Enrichment Activities and were offered in 9 Groups, 44 Schools, involving a total of 247 Classes, 6027 Students and 155 teachers; In the Family Support Component, the numbers dropped, with 7 different types of activities offered to 228 students, involving 7 teachers.

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Target group of good practice:

School leaders & Teacher educators

Country:

Portugal

Author:

António Gonçalves (head of institution)

Institution:

Edugep

Institution Website:

http://www.edugep.pt/

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