primary • primary/secondary transition • small group settings • activity groups
PSHE and Citizenship
for 7-12 year olds
through the ASDAN Stepping Stones Award
What is Stepping Stones?
It is a skills development and PSHE/Citizenship programme aimed at learners aged 7 to 12. It sets the children
challenges, encourages planning and reviewing and enables them to record their own achievements. Stepping
Stones is particularly suitable as an accreditation framework for Transition programmes, Every Child Matters
(ECM), SEAL, PSHE 2011, active citizenship, environment education, money matters, residential courses and
international links.
Who is it for?
Its flexibility and adaptability allows teachers to use Stepping Stones with children of all abilities in this age group,
and in a wide variety of settings – schools, PRUs, activity and youth clubs, residential centres and alternative
education.
How is it assessed?
It is a 20-30 hour programme which can be assessed internally, based on a completed Skills Book and a portfolio
of evidence. A foiled and credit-rated certificate is provided by ASDAN on request for each successful candidate.
Progression opportunities
There is a clear pathway from Stepping Stones to qualifications of GCSE and AS equivalence in personal and skills
development. The ASDAN credit achieved through Stepping Stones counts towards the next programme along
this pathway – Key Steps, aimed at learners up to 14 years, and onwards into further awards and qualifications.
Structure and content
Delivering Stepping Stones
The Stepping Stones Award programme offers a
well-resourced curriculum covering a range of topics
within a framework of PSHE and Citizenship themes. It
can also be adapted to accredit activities already
being undertaken.
Children are required to complete 20-30 hours of
challenges, to increase their knowledge and
understanding of topics relevant to their lives and
experiences. At the same time, they gain an
appreciation of the skills they are constantly
developing through their activities, which increases
self-confidence and independence. They put evidence
of their challenges into a portfolio and record all their
personal achievements with stickers in their Skills
Books.
Completion and certification
Teachers verify that Skills Books and portfolios have
been completed satisfactorily. Successful completion
of Skills Book 2 leads to the ASDAN approved
certificate, which is available on request via the
ASDAN website.
Stepping Stones focuses on the development of
skills through personal challenges.
The Stepping Stones Skills
The skills focused on in the Stepping Stones Award
Programme are:
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Communicating
Investigating
Presenting
Using Multi-media
Researching
Independence
Working With Others
Solving Problems
Perseverance
Confidence
Respecting Others
Collecting Evidence
Planning and Reviewing
Looking After Yourself
Budgeting
Leadership
Other skills (as decided by the teacher)
Curriculum credits
The certificate achieved by the older learners (9-12
years) for successful completion of a minimum of 20
hours activity has a value of one ASDAN curriculum
credit, which can be taken forward into further awards.
The Stepping Stones Topics
The Stepping Stones challenges are divided into the
following topic areas:
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Active Citizen
Community Spirit
Identity
Personal Wellbeing
Money Matters
Around the Globe
Environment
Valuing Each Other
Different Cultures
Health
Enterprise
Trips and Visits
Other topics (as decided by the teacher)
Resources and materials
Skills and Challenges Books
Each child should have their own copy of the Stepping Stones Skills
and Challenges Book. There are two Skills and Challenges Books
available: Book 1 is designed for younger children aged 7-9; Book
2 is for older children aged 9-12. Every Stepping Stones skill has
its own page.
While the children are working through their chosen challenges,
the teacher awards stickers for achievements in particular skills and
the children can place their ‘stepping stones’ stickers in the river
on the relevant page. Accumulation of ‘stepping stones’ enhances
motivation and pride in their achievements.
Challenges and Guide for Teachers
The challenges in this book provide a flexible curriculum. They can
be used exactly as written or tailored to suit individual situations or
learners. Teachers – or the children themselves – should feel free
to write challenges of their own to include as part of the whole.
Challenges are presented under topic headings. They can be
chosen on a pick-and-mix basis to make up 20-30 hours of
learning. All challenges have been referenced with links to QCDA
schemes of work, SEAL, ECM, PSHE and Citizenship themes.
Resources CD ROM
The resources CD ROM contains optional, printable resources for
teachers. Almost every challenge has its own activity worksheet.
There are two sets of activity worksheets; one for children working
on Book 1 and another for children working on Book 2.
Also included on the CD ROM are optional recording grids, blank
versions of the worksheet imagery and other resources to assist
teachers in the delivery of Stepping Stones.
Skills Stickers
These optional stickers are stepping stone shaped and can be used
to record childrens progress in their Skills Books. Alternatively
teachers and children can use their own stickers if they wish.
Case study
Stepping Stones at Epping
Upland Primary School
Epping Upland Primary School has been using the
ASDAN Stepping Stones Award programme for the
past four years. The school has recently focused on
accrediting Enterprise Engagement, as Deputy Head
Cathy Newman explains.
“We’ve been using ASDAN’s Stepping Stones now for
about four years. Initially I thought they’d be good
activities for use after SATS, but increasingly I’ve
found them useful throughout the year.
An environmen
tal challenge
We’ve been interested in looking at the children’s
entrepreneurial skills and awareness and I’ve found
the Active Citizen and Community Spirit challenges
particularly useful for this.
Stepping Stones really benefits the children in
the transition stage when they’re moving on to
secondary school. They become used to thinking for
themselves, being innovative, putting forward their
own ideas and listening to others’ ideas.
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A lot of group work goes on in secondary schools,
which the children enjoy, and they get a taste for
that by using the Stepping Stones challenges at
primary level.”
General Information
For details about ASDAN Award Programmes and Qualifications,
publications, training and workshop dates and centre registration,
please visit our website: www.asdan.org.uk
or contact us at:
ASDAN Central Office
Wainbrook House, Hudds Vale Road, St George, Bristol BS5 7HY
Telephone: 0117 941 1126
Fax: 0117 935 1112
email: [email protected]
Feb_15