COVO develops projects and intervention programmes tailored to the needs of our clients. We work with individuals, groups or whole organizations providing training based on personal social development and emotional literacy.

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We design programmes for children and parents using a combination of story telling, movement and play to enhance learning while developing confidence, social and emotional skills. We support schools to increase parental participation in children’s education and offer specialised tailored programmes for teachers to develop their creative vocabulary and bring fresh ideas for lesson planning and the curriculum.

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COVO uses a whole school approach to transform children’s experiences of lunchtime play. We deliver tailored training for lunchtime staff and children designed to develop their skills to run play activities and effectively manage behaviour in the playground.

We run games and classroom consultations during curriculum time to promote play as an important learning experience, while ensuring children and staff are involved in decision-making about how the playground is organised and designed. COVO supports the school’s behaviour strategies and promotes reflection-based activities that enhance adult practice and help children take responsibility. We mentor senior management teams in strategic development and offer schools on-going support to sustain activities in the long-term.

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COVO prepares and equips vulnerable children and young people with the skills and confidence to be able to move smoothly from primary to secondary school, and remain on track in their secondary education.

We provide bespoke transition programmes for whole classes, small groups and one to one support that feature a wide range of innovative, student-centred activities that develop emotional literacy and social skills. We work with teachers and pastoral teams to share these effective practices and give expert advice on how schools can sustain transition-based interventions for vulnerable students.

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We work with disengaged young people at risk of NEET (not in education, employment or training) in schools, after school settings and Pupil Referral Units, to motivate and engage young people in their learning for them to progress and succeed in life.

We offer highly skilled interventions consisting in one to one support tailored to individual learning needs, movement and group based learning that support young people to develop creative expression, social skills, self awareness and the ability to manage feelings effectively. Working closely with teachers, management teams and parents, COVO supports schools to adopt a student-centred curriculum designed to develop their active participation.

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COVO develops workshops and projects with children, young people and adults using research tools, visual and performing arts to explore identity, history and the community in which we live. Projects promote dialogue and understanding between different cultures and generations while strengthening a sense of shared belonging in the community.

We run Black History workshops and have been awarded funding from Heritage Lottery to train young people in Peckham in oral history techniques to interview local residents and trace the impact of migration into the area using audio-video recordings and photography.

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COVO delivers dance, movement and reminiscent programmes for the elderly to improve fitness and general well-being while supporting those who may experience feelings of isolation and loneliness.

Workshops are designed to increase mobility and coordination skills, encouraging participants to express themselves creatively and develop as a result, greater movement and body confidence. Sessions are socially engaging and use group discussions to explore themes related to themselves as well as the community in which they live.

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COVO training is tailored to the needs of those working with children and young people in educational settings. We deliver INSETs aimed at improving practice to have a real and direct impact in the classroom, playground or organisation as a whole. In schools we cater for all staff across the key stages. We also offer professional development training in Pupil Referral Units and third sector organisations. We deliver in-house training throughout the UK and provide off-site premises in south-east London.

Training areas of focus include:

Teachers

• Training teachers in new teaching techniques and methodologies (positive behaviour management practices; emotional literacy)
• Developing a child-centred curriculum based on children's choices, identity and needs
• Training teachers in creative methods that add to the curriculum (play, movement, storytelling, music and art)

• Training Learning Mentors to run focused interventions with vulnerable students
• Training Lunchtime Staff to run games and in positive behaviour practices in the playground
• Mentoring senior midday supervisors to effectively manage their team

• Developing whole school approaches to the curriculum and policymaking
• Enhancing communication and management structures
• Increasing parental involvement in children’s education

• Developing self-evaluation tools, including baseline assessments, monitoring and evaluation forms that support organizations to measure their impact on children’s progress
• Organizational capacity building

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COVO works with individuals and groups of adults and children to explore blockages to learning, relationships, trust and self-esteem. We provide movement programmes specifically designed to support students to re-engage in their learning environment. COVO’s professionally trained and experienced movement psychotherapists are members of the Association for Dance Movement Therapy UK.

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