Stepping Stones

Stepping Stones is a 20-30 hour PSHE/ Citizenship-based programme with an accredited outcome, aimed at 7-12 year olds. Children develop their skills through a series of challenges. The Stepping Stones certificate has a credit-rating into the next ASDAN programme, Key Steps.

Stepping Stones is linked to:

• SEAL
• Every Child Matters
• QCDA Schemes of Work
• PSHE and Citizenship curriculum
• Enrichment
• PLTS
• Personal skill development

It can be run in schools – KS2/Transition/KS3; with youth groups and interest groups; on residential courses; in training settings – anywhere!

How to achieve Stepping Stones

The main focus of Stepping Stones is the development of skills through activities (challenges).

A wide scope of activities can be used towards the award, which makes it very versatile. Any work or activities carried out in Citizenship, PSHE, Personal Wellbeing, Enterprise, Personal Finance, Environment (both natural and built), International Links, Trips and Visits and all other projects can be accredited with a Stepping Stones Award certificate.

Evidence gathered during challenges is collected in a portfolio, while skills achievements are recorded by the child in their personal skills book, using Stepping Stones stickers.

To complete the programme, young people have to:

• Complete their Skills Book and use a file or folder for their portfolio of evidence
• Carry out challenges over 20-30 hours
• Put evidence in their portfolio to show the activities they've done
• Keep a list in the Skills Book of all the challenges they've done
• Use Stepping Stones stickers to record the skills they have developed and used during the challenges
• Hand in their books and portfolios to the teacher
• Receive their certificates!

The Stepping Stones skills: Communicating; Investigating; Presenting; Using Multimedia; Researching; Independence; Working With Others; Solving Problems; Perseverance; Confidence; Respecting Others; Collecting Evidence; Planning and Reviewing; Looking After Yourself; Budgeting; Leadership.

The topic areas for the challenges: Active Citizen; Community Spirit; Identity; Personal Wellbeing; Money Matters; Around the Globe; Environment; Valuing Each Other; Different Cultures; Health; Enterprise; Trips and Visits.

Download the Stepping Stones information pack for further details and examples of challenges.

Getting Started

• Register with ASDAN (free for centres doing ONLY Stepping Stones) using the ASDAN Centre registration form - see the Centre Registration section for more details
  
• Existing ASDAN centres need to complete the additional progs/quals form to add Stepping Stones to their registration, see Add to your Registration
• Once registered, centres can then purchase materials using the Online Catalogue 

To deliver Stepping Stones, the tutor has to:

• Choose challenges from the ‘Challenges and Guide for Teachers' book...or others
• Supervise the activities
• Help the children to identify the skills they are using
• Allocate skills stickers
• Check the progress of the portfolios and Skills Books
• Take in the completed books and portfolios and sign them off
• Request certificates online
• Award the certificates!

Progression routes:

• When completed, Stepping Stones has a value of one ASDAN curriculum credit, which can be carried forward to ASDAN’s Key Steps
• Progression to further ASDAN Programmes and Qualifications is possible, through KS3 and KS4 right up to Post-16