University praised for homework club support

The Children's Commissioner for Wales has praised the work of University students in supporting a local community homework club.

Established by Adamsdown Communities First and the Adamsdown African Association, the club sees University students support and encourage children with their homework, exam preparation and other learning activities.

It aims to raise attainment and achievement with students in inner city schools and colleges, in particular children from families who have little or no history of going to university.

The club, held in Adamsdown Resource Centre, is now being used as an example that other higher education institutions should adapt, to relieve child poverty.

Writing in The Child Poverty Strategy 2012 Onwards Children's Commissioner for Wales, Keith Towler gives a commitment to write to institutions of Higher Education in Wales to highlight the work Cardiff University have been undertaking in supporting Adamsdown Homework Club in Cardiff and to "ask them to consider similar partnerships as part of their work on tackling child poverty."

Ben Ford, a Cardiff University second year English Language and Philosophy student who is involved in the homework club said: "Having come from a widening access background, in a school with a difficult catchment area far from a university, extracurricular one-to-one help would have been a great help in encouraging unconfident children to persist academically and achieve their potential.

"Volunteering is a rewarding experience, in both making a difference to children's education by giving them the help they deserve, and encouraging and answering questions they about attending university."

Sue West, Adamsdown Communities First Co-ordinator said: "The Club has been an amazing success. Pupils have reported that since joining they enjoy difficult subjects more (such as Maths and Science), are achieving better grades and have increased aspirations for the future.

"The partnership with the University has been instrumental to the success of the Club and has now developed to allow us to increase our activities to support the parents of the children through learning as well".