The National Youth Agency: Learning outside the classroom: youthwork and study support

The final item in The NYA's series looking at how different aspects of youth work and non-formal provision contribute to the Government's Learning Outside the Classroom manifesto focuses on a theme severely hampered in some people's eyes by its name.

Back in 1998, the former Department for Education and Skills defined Study Support as "learning activity outside normal lessons which young people take part in voluntarily. Study Support is, accordingly, an inclusive term embracing many activities - with many names and guises. Its purpose is to improve young people's motivation, build their self-esteem and help them become more effective learners. Above all, it aims to raise achievement." This definition remains as clear and valid as when it was first drafted. It emphasises the voluntary nature of the activities and that these take place outside normal lessons but not necessarily outside the school day. It also focuses attention on the young person's learning while "recognising the social and emotional underpinnings of effective learning."