How can we help children become more confident in the classroom?
Introduction
Ever since writing her undergraduate dissertation on the topic almost 20 years ago, a big part of Professor Maddie Ohl's academic career has focussed on the development of Pyramid Clubs for schools designed to help shy or withdrawn children develop their social skills and become more confident in the classroom.
Now, Professor Ohl works together with Bronach Hughes, Pyramid Club coordinator, and a whole raft of collaborators around the country to deliver the Pyramid Clubs to pupils all over the UK.
I’m so grateful my son came [to the Pyramid Club]. He’s got this friend and they go to sleepovers together; he’s never had a particular friend before.
How can we support shy or withdrawn children?
Pyramid Clubs originated from the work of educational social worker Kay Fitzherbert who noticed that behavioural interventions often focus on the children who act out.
She wanted to develop something for those children who are quiet and withdrawn. Her aim was to tackle challenges such as – how does a teacher know how a child is progressing if the child will not speak to them?
Fitzherbert developed a method using a multi-agency panel made up of teachers and social workers to identify those pupils who needed support and developed a programme that would aim to develop their social skills and make them feel more comfortable at school.
Although the Pyramid Club is a manualised intervention with a set format, each club is unique. Clubs develop through the dynamic of the pupils selected as club members and the volunteer club leaders. The Pyramid Club team at UWL provide an activity pack to student volunteers who are recruited to work directly with the children.
The student volunteers are trained to adapt the activities of the club based on the needs of the pupils in each group. There are activities to tackle specific social issues, such as shyness and lack of assertiveness.
Activities can include arts and crafts, cooking and sharing food, playing games and circle time. In the first session of each Pyramid Club, the pupils themselves decide on a name for the club together. All the activities are developed on a solid foundation of psychological theory, but they are also designed to be age-appropriate and fun.
Helping children to find their voice
In all the research that has been carried out around the scheme Maddie, Bronach, and the research team at the University of West London have seen a tangible improvement in the socio-emotional capabilities of the pupils who have taken part.
Pupils have shown that they are better equipped to interact with their peers and deal with symptoms of anxiety, leading to better attendance and engagement in school. There have even been multiple examples of pupils who were elective mutes who felt able to speak up by the end of the programme.
Supporting pupils during and after the pandemic
It is widely accepted that the Covid-19 pandemic has already, and will continue to, have a significant impact on children’s mental health. The Pyramid Club team have been working hard throughout the pandemic to adapt their activities for online learning.
They are also working with mental health professionals from the London Borough of Ealing to understand what support students need and what part Pyramid Clubs can play in rebuilding a sense of normality in schools.
The research team and other collaborators
- Professor Maddie Ohl, Professor of Child Mental Health and Wellbeing
- Bronach Hughes, Pyramid Club Coordinator
- Michelle Jayman, Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Roehampton
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