90 students from the four colleges within UCC volunteered over 1000 hours to help a number of Cork city school pupils with their homework.

Five city schools linked to the UCC PLUS+ programme ran ten Homework Clubs with the support of the UCC PLUS+ programme.  The schools involved in the project were Deerpark CBS, North Monastery CBS, North Presentation Secondary School and Terence MacSwiney Community College.

In total, 149 secondary school students attended sixteen homework club sessions from October 2011 to March 2012. The UCC students visited the schools once a week to help the pupils in 1st, 2nd and 3rd year with their homework after school time by acting as tutors. The UCC PLUS+ Homework Club provides academic support to second level pupils in a relaxed environment and helps to enhance the link between UCC and DEIS linked schools

Pupils and tutors were honoured at a recent UCC PLUS+ Homework Clubs Reception held in UCC supported by school representatives, parents, guardians and staff of the UCC PLUS+ programme.

Eileen Geaney, HSCL Co-Ordinator in North Presentation Secondary School where the first Homework Club began five years ago, said that “the Homework Club helped the students not alone to do their homework, but that they understood what they were doing.   The help of the tutor made them engage with the homework.”  

As part of the Access service, UCC PLUS+ seeks to target students and provide motivational and educational assistance to them throughout their secondary schooling to enhance their ability to compete for third level places. The office works with 44 linked schools.

In addition, a new joint collaborative Homework Club was supported by both UCC and CIT students for the duration of the sixteen week project.  

The Homework Club Programme to date has been a resounding success due to the dedication and the commitment of UCC volunteer tutors and the pupils themselves and is an on-going annual activity.

The group photo is of the tutors who attended the recent UCC PLUS+ Homework Club Reception in UCC.  This year ninety UCC tutors volunteered an impressive 1014 hours helping 149 secondary school students in 5 linked schools from 1st to 3rd year with their homework in an after schools programme.  Without the dedication and the commitment of these tutors, this initiative would not be possible. 

For further information please contact Maeve Minihane, Homework Club Administrator, UCC PLUS+, 021-4205140 or email m.minihane@ucc.ie.

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