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The Hexagon: An Exploration Tool
The Hexagon can be used as a planning tool to guide selection and evaluate potential programs and practice for use.
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Core Components
Pyramid clubs in primary schools is a targeted, early intervention treatment programme for children aged 7-10 years who are shy, quiet, withdrawn or show other signs of internalising disorders. Pyramid clubs promote 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.
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. Children who teachers or other staffs believe will develop their social and emotional skills from joining the club are then invited to join.
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. This is done to promote the children’s self-esteem and give them ownership and responsibility within the group.
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; 1) Circle time, where speaking, listening and peer to peer interaction is promoted; 2) Food preparation and sharing, where children learn about sharing and enhance other social skills; 3) Arts and crafts, where creativity and expression of feelings are encouraged; and 4) Physical activities where non-competitive team building games are played. Children’s inclusion in the clubs is voluntary, and friends typically don’t attend a club together to promote children’s formation of new relationships.
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 in primary schools, Pyramid clubs are also run as; 1) Pyramid transition clubs for children transitioning from primary to secondary school and; 2) Pyramid clubs in 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 licence to schools and organisations looking to deliver the programme.
Implementation Support
Implementation support and practitioner training is provided by a Pyramid Project co-ordinator from UWL, local accredited trainer or local co-ordinator. Training provision and implementation support by local accredited trainer or local co-ordinator is recommended for sustainability and increased cost-effectiveness.
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 to practitioners and schools/ organisations. They can also deliver practitioner training if this 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 (accessed either in person or delivered remotely). Access to PowerPoint is useful as a PowerPoint 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 practitioners’ 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.
Primary school: 6 to 12 years - Rating: 4+
Research Design & Number of Studies
The best evidence for children aged 6-12 years old comes from one externally conducted RCT (Cassidy et al, 2015). The study included children in year 4 (aged 7- 8 years), and year 7 (children in transition, aged 11 years). Only outcomes for children aged 7-8 years (equivalent to Pyramid primary) have been reported.
Outcomes Achieved
Compared to the control group, the following outcomes were observed at post intervention and 12 weeks follow-up:
Child Outcomes
• Significantly reduced teacher-reported emotional problems, peer problems, and total difficulty scores
• Significantly increased teacher-reported prosocial scores
• Significantly improved teacher-reported emotional intelligence
Parent Outcomes
None
Key References
Cassidy, T., McLaughlin, M., & Giles, M. (2015). Socio-emotional health in school children: An emotion-focused intervention. International Journal of School and Cognitive Psychology, 2(4), 1–7
Need
Comparable Population
Pyramid club in primary schools is a therapeutic intervention for children aged 7-10 years who are shy, quiet, withdrawn or show other signs of internalising disorders. The club is designed to help these children build their self-confidence and self-esteem; develop friendship skills; and coping strategies.
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 emotional problems, peer problems, 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?
Need Score
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Fit
Values
Pyramid club in primary schools is a school based, targeted, early intervention treatment programme for children aged 7-10 years who are shy, quiet, withdrawn or show other signs of internalising disorders. This group based intervention is designed to help the children develop their self-confidence, self-esteem, friendship skills, and coping strategies. 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?
Fit Score
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Capacity
Workforce
Practitioners run Pyramid clubs as volunteers or organisation/ school staff. 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 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?
Capacity Score
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