What is an extended school?
The Government is very keen to see governing bodies and local authorities open up their schools to provide wider services for pupils, families and the community – services such as adult learning, childcare, parenting support, ICT access and even on-site health and social care. At the centre of this idea is the Extended Schools Initiative.
What are the benefits?
Benefits for pupils and schools:
- Higher levels of pupil achievement
- Increased pupil motivation and self-esteem
- Additional facilities and equipment
- Greater opportunities for staff for flexible working and career development
- Enhanced partnership working with the community and better school security
- Easier access to essential services for staff, helping staff recruitment and retention
Benefits for families:Improvements in child behaviour and social skills
- Greater parental involvement in children's learning
- More opportunities for local adult education and family learning
- Greater availability of specialist support for families
Benefits for communities:
- Better access to essential services
- Improved local availability of sports, arts and other facilities
- Local career development opportunities
- Better supervision of children outside school hours
- Closer relationships with the school
What about Darlington?
Working with local partners and communities, many schools across Darlington are already providing some extended services, including evening classes and community sports programmes.
In July 2004 Darlington received £261,000 from the Department for Education and Skills to spend over the following two years to help Hummersknott School & Language College and Skerne Park Primary School take this work still further. Working as a double act, they will become Darlington’s first Department for Education and Skills funded Extended School. They will offer (amongst other things!) a host of after school activities, better coordinated support for pupils who need it, parenting classes, family learning and healthy lifestyle clubs.
The vision is to develop this core partnership into a broader partnership of all the primary schools in the locality, creating a collaborative of schools. This wider collaborative will take the work done by the two core schools and extend it further so more children, families and communities can benefit.
There is more Government money on its way. This will help the Authority roll out this innovative way of working across the Borough over the next couple of years.
What types of services/activities could be provided?
Local consultation is important to help schools agree with their partners what types of services they would like to offer their pupils, families and community. Some key services are briefly described here, but schools will offer different activities or programmes depending on the needs of their own local community.
Childcare
- Childcare on the school site (maybe run by a local voluntary organisation or private provider)
- Promoting awareness of childcare and existing local facilities.
Lifelong Learning
- Working with the Community Learning Service to develop family learning projects
- Working with Darlington FE College to deliver local opportunities for certificated courses
- Providing information on Borough-wide opportunities for basic skills training, adult learning or vocational study.
- Promoting national events such as Adult Learners’ Week.
Healthcare & Social Services
- Breakfast clubs and healthy tuck shops
- Physical activities in out-of-school hours clubs and childcare.
- Working with the Primary Care Trust and Social Services to develop outreach services e.g. smoking cessation clinics and teenage health walk-in clinics
Cultural and sporting activities
- Sports coaching
- Community access to school facilities
Study Support
- Extending the curriculum by working in partnership
- Linking with Connexions to provide ‘on the spot’ support for young people
ICT
- Offering community access to school ICT facilities
- Working with local providers to deliver ICT courses
Other services for children and young people
- Opening up playing fields to provide space for play
- Working with Youth Services to provide youth clubs and various leisure facilities.
Other services for the community
- Providing low-cost venues for community activities, clubs and social events.
- A shop providing affordable basic items
- Acting as a base for:
Police officers
Citizens’ Advice Bureaux
Housing Association Offices
Credit Unions
Voluntary Transport Schemes
Neighbourhood Wardens.