Core Components

Pyramid clubs (Transition) is a targeted, early intervention treatment programme for children about to make the transition to secondary school, and are shy, quiet, withdrawn or show other signs of internalising disorders. The school based treatment programme addresses the worries faced by children in the run up to moving to secondary school, and provides support to those at risk of transitioning poorly. The Pyramid clubs therefore promotes the development of children’s social and emotional well-being within a safe and supportive environment. The clubs are designed to teach skills to support social and emotional development including self-confidence, self-esteem, friendship skills, and coping strategies in other to manage the changes around them.

Three or four trained practitioners deliver the programme to groups of children. Each group consists of about 10 children (no more than 12), in the same or adjacent year group. Children are identified for the club using the Goodman’s Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) or similar tools. Parents and children are also requested to fill-out a ‘transition questionnaire’, which helps evaluate challenges with successful transition.

The club is typically run as an after school programme, but can also be run during the school day (e.g. during lunch break or curriculum time). It is delivered over 10 weeks in weekly sessions, with each session lasting 90 minutes. In the first week, the children decide a club name, and also agree on a set of rules that will guide their treatment of each other at the club. From week to week, the children are encouraged to put forward ideas for activities to be carried out within the club.

The programme is manualised, and there is a ‘Guide to setting up and running Pyramid Clubs’, which is the main manual for the delivery of the programme. Additionally, there is a training manual for those training practitioners and training handbook for those being trained. There is also a Pyramid Club file to guide the practical delivery of the club and activity packs are available for each age group. Activities include circle time, food preparation and sharing, physical activities, arts and crafts. Pyramid club (transition) can be take place in primary school (from P6 onwards), across primary and secondary school, or at the start of secondary school. Children’s inclusion in the clubs is voluntary.

Fidelity

Fidelity is ensured by adherence to the measures below;

• Fidelity monitoring checklist for practitioner self-assessment

• Supervision of volunteer practitioners by Pyramid project co-ordinator or local co-ordinator

Modifiable Components

In addition to Pyramid clubs for children transitioning to secondary schools, Pyramid clubs are also run in; 1) Primary school for children aged 7-10 and; 2) Secondary school for young people aged 11-14 years. While typically run as an after school programme, it can also be run during school times. In addition to schools, clubs can be run in other settings including voluntary organisations’ facility.  Programme specific activities can be adapted to meet the needs of the particular group involved, but the overall length of the interventions (10 weeks), the length of the weekly sessions (90 minutes) and the types of activities (circle time, art and craft, food and games) should be maintained. Guidance on modifying the programme to fit the specific context is included in both the activities packs and the training. The programme is delivered in English language. 

Support for Organisation / Practice

University of West London (UWL) own Pyramid club, and offer the club licence to schools and other organisations looking to deliver the programme.

Implementation Supports

Training for practitioners can be delivered either face-to-face or remotely using a digital platform. Face-to-face training usually takes place over two school days and involves practical group activities to reinforce learning.  Virtual training comprises 6 hours of training delivered as a single session on one day or three two-hour sessions on separate days. Practitioners are given resources needed to deliver the programme including the Pyramid club manual that describes the programme model and contains steps to set-up and run the clubs; the Pyramid club file (the working file while clubs are taking place); and Pyramid club leaders’ handbook (with all the key messages covered in the training). Secondary schools running the programme get the secondary activity pack that contains activities that can be carried out during the ten weeks of the programme.

Two days of support is built in over the first year of programme implementation for new projects that buy into a start-up package.  All practitioners can receive the support via email or phone and will receive regular newsletters. Additional support or consultation can be requested at any time. Face-to-face support may incur additional costs.

Licence Requirements

A licence is required to run this programme.

Start-up Costs

Start-up costs for individual schools running Pyramid clubs include:

• A starter pack of materials which cost £175
• Practitioner two days training at UWL at £120/ practitioner or practitioner two days training at implementing site at £500 per group (8-20 practitioners) or virtual training at a cost of £95 per person
• Annual licence per school at £75

A group of schools within the same geography can come together to run the Pyramid project. Local authorities or academic chains can also implement Pyramid club at their schools. Setting up and managing the Pyramid project for a group of schools costs £2500 for up to 10 schools. This includes:

• Training for a maximum of 20 practitioners either face-to-face or virtually
• Pyramid starter pack materials for each school
• Two days of support in the first year and Pyramid licence.

An annual licence fee of £450 per group of schools is payable after the first year.

Train-the-trainer training requires purchase of training materials at £75, and a one-day training for trainers course at £250. A one-day course is also available to practitioners to become local pyramid co-ordinator, and this costs £250. Other costs that need to be budgeted for include food and craft materials (e.g. paper, pens, scissors, and glue). All volunteers’ out-of-pocket expenses are paid by the school/ organisation. 

Building Staff Competency

Qualifications Required

Practitioners can run the Pyramid clubs as volunteers. They could be university/ college students, retirees, or people between jobs. Practitioners can also be staff working within the implementing school / organisation, including learning support assistants and learning mentors. Practitioner experience with activities involving children, as well as understanding of mental health issues and safeguarding issues are beneficial.  Practitioners at all levels of education are welcome to receive training to run Pyramid clubs.

Local Pyramid co-ordinators are senior practitioners who are local to the project and could work within individual schools, group of schools, academy chain or local authority. They are the main link to the programme developer at UWL and they provide implementation support and practitioner training (if training is within their remit). They have experience in delivering similar programmes and could be educational psychologists, family support workers or mental health workers. Where schools do not have local co-ordinators, practitioners can liaise directly with the Pyramid project co-ordinator at UWL for support.

Training Requirements

Practitioner training prior to running Pyramid clubs is required. Trainings are delivered by Pyramid project club co-ordinator from UWL or local accredited trainer. A local co-ordinator can also deliver trainings to practitioners if practitioner training is within their remit.

Practitioners receive two days of training prior to running the clubs, delivered either face-to-face or remotely using a digital platform. Digital presentations are used to deliver practitioner trainings alongside the training manual and handbook. Practitioners who become local co-ordinators receive an extra training day (i.e. total 3 days of training). Booster training sessions are provided on demand but are not normally necessary. A group of schools / organisation can run clubs for primary, transition and secondary, with one licence and one lot of training.

Schools working together as a group to deliver Pyramid clubs, or local authorities delivering the clubs can train a local accredited trainer. Individual schools can also train accredited trainers, but trainer training is more effective when carried out either on behalf of a group of schools or local authority. To become trainers, practitioners attend the full Pyramid club training, and an additional two days training for trainers’ course.

Supervision Requirements

Supervision of paid practitioners is not normally required. Problems or queries that arise can often be directed from local licensees to the programme developer at UWL. When clubs are run by volunteers, a local co-ordinator or Pyramid project co-ordinator provides supervision and support. They visit each club at least two times during the 10 week programme. This is to provide practitioners with strategies for working with the children; to ensure practitioner’s adherence to Pyramid club intervention manual; and to assess the performance of the volunteers. As part of supervision, the co-ordinator can ask for a short weekly update to confirm club progress and highlight difficulties or concerns.

Theory of Change

Pyramid club is guided mainly by cognitive psychology and positive psychology, as the club helps children develop techniques to manage how they think and how they feel. This is evidenced in club activities which promote peer to peer interaction; enhance social skills; encourage creativity and expression of feelings; and team building.

Values

Pyramid club (Transition) is a school based, targeted, early intervention treatment programme for children about transition to secondary school, who are shy, quiet, withdrawn or show other signs of internalising disorders. The school based treatment programme addresses the worries faced by children in the run up to moving to secondary school; provides support to those at risk of transitioning poorly; and helps children develop skills to cope with the changes around them. Pyramid clubs are typically run after school.

• Is this the population your organisation would like to target? Are the above goals similar to what your organisation would like to achieve?

Priorities

• Would your organisation like to implement a programme that is delivered to individual students, or would a group based programme be a better fit?
• Is your organisations’ priority to deliver a school based intervention, or would a home visiting programme, telehealth programme or clinic based programme fit better?
• Would an intervention delivered as an after school programme suit your organisation, or would a programme delivered as part of the school curriculum or during holidays be a better fit?
• Should the focus of the intervention be internalising disorders?
• Or would your organisation prefer to deliver a programme that addresses a wider range of behavioural problems and developmental problems?

Existing Initiatives

• Does your organisation have existing programmes for children with internalising disorders? Are the existing initiatives applicable to children with other types of behavioural problems?
• Are the existing initiatives effective? Do they fit your current and anticipated future requirements? Can they be delivered to students aged 7-10 years?
• Are the existing initiatives school based? Do they address similar goals as Pyramid clubs? Are there components that these clubs address that are not met by existing programmes?

Workforce

Practitioners can run Pyramid clubs as volunteers, or practitioners can be staff working within the implementing school / organisation. Practitioners at all levels of education are welcome to receive training to run the clubs. Three or four trained practitioners deliver the programme to groups of 10-12 children. For schools running the project as a group, practitioner training can be delivered by a local accredited trainer. A local Pyramid co-ordinator provides implementation support and delivers practitioner training (if training is within their remit).

• Will practitioners running the club be volunteers or organisation/ school staff?
• Does your organisation have staff with interest in learning and delivering this programme? Do the staff have sufficient time to undertake the recommended training?
• Will an accredited trainer be trained to deliver practitioner trainings?
• Will your organisation have access to a local co-ordinator, train a local co-ordinator, or liaise directly with programme developer at UWL?
• Based on need, how many clubs does your organisation anticipate running in the first year?
• Will your organisation have sufficient numbers of practitioners to run the clubs in the first year?

Technology Support

If training is being accessed online, a device and internet access are required to participate. Access to PowerPoint is useful as a PowerPoint presentation are used to deliver practitioner trainings.  

• Does your organisation have the technology to deliver PowerPoint presentations?
• If accessing online training does your organisation have the technology required?

Administrative Support

Pyramid clubs are school-based and typically run as an after school programme. Club activities include circle time; food preparation and sharing; arts and crafts; and physical activities. School staff or volunteers can run the clubs.

• If volunteers are to run the clubs, how will they be recruited?
• Does your organisation have the facilities to conduct Pyramid club activities?
• Does your organisation have administrative capacity and systems for an after school intervention?

Financial Support

Start-up costs include starter pack and materials which cost £175; practitioner 2 days training at UWL at £120 per practitioner or practitioner 2 day training at implementing site at £500 per group (8-20 practitioners) or one day’s virtual training at £95 per person; and annual licence per school at £75. All volunteers’ out-of-pocket expenses and day-to-day materials for the sessions are paid by the school/ organisation.

A group of schools within the same geography can come together to run a Pyramid project and this costs £2,500 for up to 10 schools. An annual licence fee of £450 per group of schools is payable after the first year.

Trainer training requires purchase of training materials at £75, and training for trainers’ course at £250.

• How many practitioners will your organisation train? Will your organisation train local co-ordinators and trainers?
• Can your organisation afford the cost of training, starter packs and programme materials (either independently or in collaboration with other schools)?
• If volunteers run the clubs, how many clubs will be run? Can this be financially supported (bearing in mind out of pocket expenses)?
• Will your organisation collaborate with other schools to run a Pyramid project?

Comparable Population

Pyramid club (Transition) is a therapeutic intervention for children transitioning from primary to secondary school, who are shy, quiet, withdrawn or show other signs of internalising disorders. The club helps these children build their self-confidence and self-esteem; develop friendship skills; and coping strategies to manage the changes faced. Pyramid club (transition) can be take place in primary school (from P6), across primary and secondary school, or at the start of secondary school.

• Is this comparable to the population your organisation would like to serve?
• Has your organisation identified children who could benefit from this intervention?

Desired Outcome

Programme delivery is associated with significant improvements across several outcomes including reduced emotion problems, peer problems, internalisation and externalisation, as well as increased emotional intelligence and pro-social skills. The evidence is from one RCT conducted in children aged 7, 8 and 11 years, who had been screened for socio-emotional difficulties.

• Are the above outcomes priorities for your organisation?
• Are there other primary outcomes that your organisation would like to achieve, which are outside the premise of Pyramid clubs?
• Does your organisation have other initiatives in place that effectively and efficiency address the above outcomes? If implemented, will this programme link to other initiatives?