Walsall Children's Services

Teachernet website 

Extended services is about more than just extended the school day, it is about understanding that many children need the support of other agencies to remove the barriers that prevent them from achieving their full potential.  The extended services agenda is one of the frontline delivery vehicles for Every Child Matters. From 2010 extended services will be part of core school business Ofsted have always been interested in the out of hours services that schools offer but as extended services has developed Ofsted’s interest has deepened. 

Extended services in and around schools bringtogether existing services and organisations tocreate a coherent offer for pupils and their families.Schools become the point of access to services butit is not expected that school staff will beresponsible for their delivery. 

Results in the first wave of full-service extended schools improved at twice the national average rate between 2005 and 2006. Independent research from the Universities of Manchester and Newcastle, and from Ofsted and others, also points to the considerable benefits of extended services for improving the motivation, behaviour, attendance and achievement of pupils. In addition to their educational benefits, extended schools can lead to better mental and physical health and better social outcomes for children and young people (Extended schools prospectus, building on experience). 

Research, as well as common sense, is now demonstrating the linkages. The issue that has to be balanced by schools is between measurable outcomes and their impact and the longer term, softer outcomes in terms of individual social capital and community capacity building. This requires absolute clarity at the strategic planning stage and well planned monitoring and evaluative threads woven into earliest stages of any work undertaken. It may seem straightforward to say we will provide some family learning to encourage confidence or first aid courses to re-engage learners but it needs to be part of wider strategies that ensure flexible, and learner led, progression routes. This is further complicated by the inescapable truth that schools are not the only agency serving the learning needs of the community. 

Schools in Special Measures and Extended Services

When drawing up a statement of action with a school that has been placed in special measures, the people involved will want to consider how providing access to extended services can help the school to improve.

Understandably at such a sensitive time extended services might not be the first thing on a school’s mind.  However, working in partnership with other agencies such as health, social services and other specialised support can help to identify and deal with problems pupils encounter outside of school before they become obstinate. These problems, if not dealt with, can impact on pupil attendance, behaviour and ultimately learning. This partnership working can also free up the time of teaching staff to focus on teaching rather than all the other issues that come into the classroom.

Information to parents is crucial at this time as partners in their child’s education, providing parents with the vital information they need can lead to greater parental involvement and support for the school.

Providing a range of study support activities that children enjoy and engage in outside of the required school day also helps to have their learning needs supported in a more informal environment. 

Future Proposals 

The government have just finished a consultation period on the 21^st century school, including the possibility of a School Report Card this will be in addition to the current Ofsted inspection and would enable parents to view a broader range of information on how a school is performing including their progress and engagement in extended services. 

For further information see http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/_doc/10747/supporting%20school%20improvement.pdf