Launched last month, the club is part of a 2.5m campaign that aims to provide a UK-wide network of out-of-school clubs for 11- to 16-year-olds.
Anne Longfield, chief executive of KCN, said, 'Our research shows that six out of ten teenagers and eight out of ten parents think that there is not enough for young people to do in the area where they live.'
This venture, sponsored by the Nestle Trust, has been designed to meet the needs of young people across the country, by offering them a safe place to socialise.
Based on feedback from 2,000 interviews with parents, teenagers, youth workers and teachers, Make Space has devised a set of guidelines that all member clubs are committed to follow. These include providing a chill-out space where young people can relax and chat with friends, an activity space where they can access sports, arts and events and a quiet zone where they can study, surf the net, or do their homework. There will also be opportunities to take part in schemes exclusive to the clubs - from making music to taking part in alternative sports. Most important, the teenagers themselves will all be involved in the decision-making.
John Troake, headteacher of Haling Manor school, has been working with a team from Make Space and Nestle on the 35,000 project that is set to create a best practice model for Make Space clubs. He said, 'We are very committed to extending the use of the school into the local community, but it can be a real challenge to do this in practice.'
The club at Haling Manor is run by a newly-appointed youth worker, Sue Kerr, who is being helped by volunteers from the school staff and Nestle.
They have tackled the challenge of following the specification by transforming a section of the canteen into chill-out space that can be easily changed back into a canteen the next morning.
Mr Troake said, 'Pupils have expressed a desire to create their own radio station. We have the recording equipment and volunteers from Nestle have offered to help us. We are delighted that the club will be able to access our state-of-the-art sports, arts and educational facilities in out-of-school hours.'
The Haling Manor club is the first of two model clubs, which will develop the Make Space approach to out-of-school provision for young people. The campaign aims to establish 3,000 Make Space clubs in secondary school areas across England by 2015.
Applications forms for funding - available to Make Space member clubs - will be available from next month. For more information visit www.makespace.org.ukor call the helpline on 020 7522 6960.
