Top 5 benefits of running summer clubs at your school

Running summer holiday clubs offers a number of benefits for students, parents and schools alike. Beyond providing a safe and engaging environment during the six-week holidays, you also have a unique opportunity to nurture a positive relationship with parents during this time and develop key skills in students which they will bring back to the classroom in September. In the first blog of our summer clubs series, we will explore the benefits your school could experience by choosing to run clubs during the summer holidays this year…

1. Continuous learning and development

One of the primary benefits of running summer clubs is the opportunity for you to provide continuous learning to children outside of the traditional school year. By offering educational activities in a fun environment, you can prevent the likelihood of students breaking into bad habits in terms of behaviour/ conduct or loss of academic skills during the long summer break.

By choosing to run summer clubs, you have control to focus children on the skills you’d like them to learn and develop which will benefit your school’s environment and culture. Summer clubs are a great way to keep young minds active and engaged, ensuring they return to school in September ready to build on the knowledge they’ve recently acquired rather than having to quickly fit back into a learning routine from ‘cold’.

2. Maintaining a positive relationship with families

Summer holiday clubs serve as a valuable resource for those working families who struggle to organise childcare during the six-week holiday. By extending your school’s services beyond the academic year, you are able to ease the burden on parents and guardians, allowing them to maintain their work commitments whilst ensuring that their children are safe, supervised and engaged in a familiar environment. Offering support to families by providing school clubs strengthens your relationship with parents and allows you to remain connected throughout the school break.

3. Enrichment opportunities

Beyond the classroom, summer holiday clubs offer enrichment opportunities that may otherwise not be available to students, or prioritised, during the regular school year or in their home life. From arts and crafts to sports, music and drama, these activities allow children to explore their passions and discover new interests in a supportive environment. By exposing students to new experiences, you can encourage creativity, curiosity and personal growth, potentially unlocking hidden talents and allowing them to recognise their potential outside of academic learning.

4. Building a community

Introducing summer holiday clubs doesn’t need to be exclusive to the students at your school. Why not offer the opportunity to neighbouring schools, giving your students and you the opportunity to interact with people of different ages, backgrounds and interests. Taking children out of their comfort zone with their usual classmates, you will help students to develop important social skills such as communication, teamwork and how to interact with a variety of personalities. By engaging in group activities, students will be exposed to greater diversity and build friendships with a variety of age groups, which in turn will help improve their social skillset.

5. Enabling a smoother September transition

Summer holiday clubs often serve as a bridge between school years, providing a smooth transition for students as they prepare to enter the next class up. By participating in these programs, students are able to maintain a consistent Monday-Friday schedule if not something similar, which helps them stay familiar with the school routine. This minimises the adjustment period that typically can be seen at the beginning of the new school year.

Additionally, the structured environment of summer clubs allows pupils to build their confidence through social interaction and engagement in a variety of activities. As a result, they will return to September feeling more prepared, confident, and comfortable, having already re-established their routines and strengthened connections with other students during the summer.

In summary, summer holiday clubs offer numerous benefits for your school, students and families alike – not to mention the wider community. From preventing loss of learning and encouraging socialisation, you have the opportunity to positively impact your student’s personal development and engagement.

To discover how Edulink One can support you during summer holiday clubs, contact our team today.