Extended Services In and Around Schools
In its Prospectus ‘Extended Schools:
Access to Opportunities and Services for All’ (
DCFS
2005)
the Government set out its vision that all schools should provide
access to a range of extended services by 2010.
The
DCSF
defines
an Extended School as ‘one that provides a range of services and
activities often beyond the school day, to help meet the needs of
its pupils, their families and the wider community’.
Cheshire East Council met the 2010
target for all of its schools to be meeting the offer. The
core offer is:
- Quality Childcare – 8am-6pm all year round for primary school
children, provided on the school site or through other local
providers, including childminders, with supervised transfer
arrangements or ‘a safe place to be’ for secondary age
children;
- A varied menu of activities – such as homework clubs and study
support, sport, music tuition, dance and drama, arts and
crafts;
- Parenting Support – including information sessions at key
transition points, parenting programmes run with the support of
other children’s services, and family learning sessions to allow
children to learn with their parents;
- Swift and Easy Access – to a wide range of targeted and
specialist support services such as speech therapy, child and
adolescent mental health services, intensive behaviour support and
sexual health services;
- Community Access – to ICT, sports and arts facilities including
adult learning.
Not all schools will provide Extended Services on their site,
but will be expected to work with nearby schools and partners
across local areas to meet the needs of their children, young
people and families.
The Schools, Childcare and
Nurseries Finder provides contextual details about every
school in England as well as each school’s performance data, Ofsted
report and school profile information.
More details regarding Extended Services in your local area
can be obtained from the Cheshire East Family
Information Service website.
