Extended Schools

What are extended services and extended schools?

By 2010, every school in England will provide a range of extended services either on its own site or in partnership with other schools or community organisations, and will be able to signpost you to appropriate services elsewhere in your area. 

This will enable all children and young people, families, parents and carers, and even members of the local community to have easy access to these services when they need them. 

This process is already well underway and half of all primary schools and a third of all secondary schools will be providing these services by September 2008. 

These services include:

• a varied menu of out-of-school-hours activities and childcare for children in primary schools
• a varied menu of activities in a safe place for young people in secondary schools
• a range of parenting support and family learning programmes
• easy access to specialist support services such as health, social care, speech and language therapy
• opportunities for the community to use your local school facilities, and to take part in adult learning activities.

An extended school is one that provides all of these services, together known as the ‘core offer’, to help meet the needs of its pupils, their families and the wider community. It works in partnership with other providers. These services will change over time as the needs of the pupils and community change, and the school will be particularly responsive to the views of parents and pupils about what kind of services should be provided at any one time.

Extended schools may be able to offer an even wider range of services where there is the need and the opportunity. Many schools will be open for longer hours and for a greater variety of activities, five or more days a week, for most of the year. And they may well play a full part as a local resource centre for the whole community. The delivery and impact of these services is now monitored closely and reported by Ofsted inspectors.

You may even use the facilities and services on other school sites as part of a local agreement within a cluster of schools and partners.

Why are extended services needed?

In 2003 the government published a document called Every Child Matters, which considered the well-being of children and young people from birth to 19 years. 

This led to debate about services for children, young people and their families, and there was wide consultation with people working in children’s services, with parents and carers, and with children and young people themselves. 

A number of outcomes were identified, to which all children and young people should have a right. These were:

• to be healthy
• to stay safe
• to enjoy and achieve
• to make a positive contribution
• to achieve economic well-being.

In order to achieve these outcomes, the need for more effective and easily accessible children and family services, working together in a more integrated way, was identified. The Children’s Act, which was passed in 2004, provided the framework for such services to be developed. 

As a result of these findings and subsequent government legislation all schools are becoming more responsive to the various and complex needs of children, young people and their families. They are also working much more closely with other services such as health, social care, the police, a variety of voluntary and community organisations, and so on, in order to meet those needs in a more joined-up way. 

Clearly, the first priority of all schools is still enabling children and young people to learn so that they can achieve their potential and have the best possible chances in life. But schools recognise that their pupils’ abilities to learn are deeply influenced by other factors in their lives, very often outside of school. 

So they are keen to work parents, communities and other agencies to help children and young people overcome challenges and barriers, and to provide the best possible circumstances and environment for them to achieve well-being and to learn what they need in whatever way is best for them.

What makes extended schools different?

Most schools are already doing some of the things that extended schools are expected to do. The difference is that extended schools will be seeking to provide, or signpost to, all of the extended services for all pupils and parents who need them, in partnership with other schools and agencies. And by 2010, all schools will be extended schools!

Won’t this make all schools the same?

No two schools will develop in exactly the same way, so every school is likely to offer personalised provision reflecting the needs of their families. Schools and communities require different services and resources, delivered in different ways. So this is an opportunity for schools to develop in the way that is best for the needs of their communities. 

It is for the headteacher and governing body to consult fully and regularly with their pupils, families and community members, in order to be able to assess needs and to make the best possible choices for appropriate provision in your particular area.

Many schools and partners collaborate to give maximum choice and opportunities.

What are the benefits of extended schools?

How will my children benefit?

They will have the chance to enjoy experiences and activities beyond the school day, including opportunities to learn together as a family - perhaps including grandparents and other family members, and there will be opportunities to develop their learning in other places outside school.

There is strong evidence that in extended schools:

• pupils become better motivated and more confident
• pupils show improved behaviour and attendance
• pupils have higher expectations and raised attainment
• pupils benefit from better and more coherent support, provided by agencies working together.

How will I, as a parent, benefit?

You will have access to a range of support services and learning opportunities, and you will know that your children have the opportunity to enjoy a wider variety of activities and experiences which will help their motivation and their achievement.

Your children won’t have to start school earlier in the morning and stay later in the evening than they have been used to, but the opportunity to access childcare, or activities in a safe place, will be there if you need it and they want it. Childcare will not generally be free, but you may be able to claim support to pay for it and help it to be sustainable into the future – for example, from Working Families Tax Credit.

Many schools will be working together in geographical groups often called ‘clusters’, ‘pyramids’ or ‘localities’, and extended services will be planned and delivered through these partnerships. This is because some schools will not have the staffing or premises to be able to provide everything themselves, and they can offer a greater range of better quality services if they work together. Some services and facilities will be available through other local providers working closely with the school.

There is strong evidence that in extended schools:

• parents are better placed to help and support their children’s learning
• parents’ learning is also enhanced as they help their children.

How will our school benefit?

The school will have the benefit of the experience of other community groups, services and providers, and of working closely with other schools and sharing their resources and expertise.

Extended services help to remove barriers to learning and encourage children to succeed, and will therefore give support to school staff, pupils and families, allowing teachers to concentrate on their main tasks of teaching. Happier and more fulfilled children mean happier schools!

The government’s Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) expects extended services to have a positive impact on a number of areas of children’s learning, in particular:

• PE and sport
• performing and visual arts
• information and communications technology

... and there is already considerable evidence that this is happening.

How will our community benefit?

The community will have more access to facilities and resources, and greater involvement and partnership with the school, often with different generations engaging with one another. This will strengthen families and local communities.

Schools will also make full use of the expertise and experience of other services and community groups, by working collaboratively, towards shared objectives, in order to enhance the opportunities for young people and the wider community.

The content of this page is from www.continyou.org.uk