Schools urged to improve volunteering opportunities for pupils

In its report into volunteering offered by schools, the inspectorate found the most effective programmes where those designed by young people.

Those run by schools jointly with local charities were also effective, says the report Choosing to Volunteer, which is based on visits to six secondary schools and seven colleges with a strong track record of encouraging volunteering.

Volunteering schemes were also effective when part of a broader curriculum, especially for pupils at risk of exclusion and with behavioural problems.

Ofsted chief inspector Miriam Rosen said: "Volunteering not only enriches participants, community groups and civil society more widely, but can provide alternative opportunities for youngsters to achieve their goals and gain work experience.

The government is being called on by Ofsted to ensure public sector spending cuts do not hinder links between schools and charities to promote volunteering.

Ofsted is also calling for schools to incorporate volunteering in their curriculum and use it to engage with their most disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils.

Staff also need to be trained in running programmes and schools need to ensure any schemes are properly evaluated to show how they can improve young people’s lives.

The most important parts of volunteering cited by pupils who took part were that it gave them a good feeling and increased their knowledge of those they were supporting.

Other reasons young volunteers gave for taking part include improving their chances of gaining a job and boosting their confidence.

Rosen added: "Volunteering needs to be a meaningful and positive experience for everyone involved.  I hope this report will help more individuals and organisations make the most of opportunities to volunteer."

The report has been released to coincide with international volunteering day.

A link to the report will follow shortly.