Primary schools set out to help shy pupils with clubs

The project has been launched at both Farnham and Horton Grange Primary, in Bradford, to work with seven and eight-year-old children who have been assessed as being shy, quiet or withdrawn.

Bradford Council is carrying out the pilot Pyramid Clubs project with the ContinYou charity and with the help of a £10,000 start up grant from the banking giant Santander.

If it proves successful it could be rolled out across the district.

The two schools share the same site and both use the Farnham Road Children’s Centre where the Pyramid Clubs will be held. ContinYou already runs similar schemes in other parts of the country.

The charity’s after school club co-ordinator Bronach Hughes said: “I’ve seen for myself the impact that Pyramid Clubs have on quieter children who rarely get any additional support or attention, so I’m delighted that we’re now going to be able to offer that experience to children in Bradford, thanks to Santander.

“We know that Pyramid Clubs have the potential to change a child’s life, setting them off on a path they might never have found otherwise.”

The club will run every Thursday until the end of March.

Coun Ralph Berry, Bradford Council’s executive member for children’s services, said: “This is a great opportunity for pupils who often miss out on a lot of opportunities in school and in life more generally. The sessions will also help children find it easier to make friends. I look forward to seeing how the pilot goes and, if successful, how it can be rolled out across the district.”

Santander’s communications manager Anoushka Brown said : “We make hundreds of donations every year to good causes around the UK to support disadvantaged people through education and training projects.

“We are delighted to be supporting the Pyramid Club and hope the pilot is a huge success.”