10 June, 2025
A UK wide network of further and higher education institutions, industry, and the cultural sector is paving the way in providing free access to creative, extracurricular education for 13—16-year-olds. With a focus on engaging young people from underrepresented backgrounds, this remarkable network of partners is working together to break down barriers to access, introduce young people to further study and career pathways and, ultimately, support the future talent pipeline for the creative industries and beyond.
National Saturday Club’s model of free extracurricular education is tried and tested; providing institutions with an established framework to develop civic engagement in their community, enhance their access and participation plans and introduce local young people to spaces and opportunities they may not have otherwise had access to.
How does it work?
13—16-year-olds apply to join a Saturday Club hosted by their local college, university or cultural institution. Spaces are not dependent upon ability but focus on reaching young people from underrepresented and underserved communities. The programme runs for up to 30 weeks and can be offered in up to eight subject areas:
Craft&Making in partnership with Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) with the support of Howdens
Fashion&Business in partnership with the British Fashion Council
Film&Screen in partnership with BFI, awarding National Lottery funding
Performance&Theatre in partnership with the Clore Duffield Foundation
The host institution plans and delivers a programme of weekly classes, shaped to align with their own expertise and facilities to introduce the breadth of the subject, nurture young people’s talents, encourage creativity and confidence building, and develop their skills for the future.
The weekly Saturday Clubs are enhanced by the national programme of events, planned and delivered by the National Saturday Club team. These activities are designed to augment the Club programmes and offer expanded access and opportunities, such as specially arranged trips and workshops at renowned cultural institutions, Masterclasses with leading industry professionals, and end-of-year celebrations.
The National Saturday Club also offers a professional development programme for Club tutors, as well as robust annual evaluation of the programme, sharing data, insights and bespoke reports with host partners to provide an upward spiral of best practice sharing across the network of educators and institutions.
The charity’s operations are supported by a wealth of expertise across industry, education and our beneficiaries, consisting of a Board of Trustees, chaired by Sir Nigel Carrington, an Advisory Board, Tutors’ Advisory Group, Youth Board and a dedicated central team.
Why be part of it?
Saturday Clubs are at the forefront of championing informal learning. There is an emphasis on nurturing practical and soft skill development through carefully developed pedagogies to support whichever future pathways the young people choose to take.
As reported in the National Saturday Club 2023-24 Annual Review:
93% of Club members found their Saturday Club engaging
87% said their passion for the subject has increased because of the Club
85% had a better understanding of the study and learning options available to them
98% of Club member parents said the Club was a valuable experience
90% stating that their child had become more confident
National Saturday Club is a driving force behind the extracurricular education movement . It has recently been included as one of four recommendations in a report calling upon government to increase its support of creative education, recognising the strategic importance of the National Saturday Club’s expansion to provide free, high-quality, extracurricular creative education to even more young people, UK-wide.
There are currently 122 Saturday Clubs around the UK serving over 2,300 Club members, a total of over 18,000 13—16-year-olds since the charity began 15 years ago. This year saw the first Saturday Club open in Scotland, at Edinburgh College of Art, and an ambitious growth strategy is currently underway to establish Saturday Clubs in Northern Ireland and expand its footprint across all four nations of the UK, to benefit even more young people.
The National Saturday Club’s partners are at the heart of the programme, providing transformational opportunities and strengthening relationships with their local communities year-on-year. By delivering the programme, our partners also build networks across sectors within their region, engaging local schools, community organisations, museums, galleries, as well as industry and local government.
Want to be part of the movement?
Join the Club! Each Club is supported by a Regional Relationship Manager who will be on hand to guide you through the process of launching a Club and throughout the entire experience of running the programme. There is a breadth of resources available to you from handbooks, Club member recruitment materials, data management systems, processes and policies, and monthly emails to support the running of the Club, as well as multiple events throughout the year.
Contact UK Network Direct, Paul Allnutt for more information about launching a Club and kickstart building a brighter future for your local community.