Extended Schools
An extended school provides a range of activities and services that operate outside of normal school hours. This can be within a school that helps meet the needs of its pupils, their families and the wider local community.
Over the last few years, the Government has been looking at ways of promoting ‘extended’ school services that benefit working parents and their children while strengthening local communities. The focus is now on how all services for children, including out of school childcare, can promote the well being of children.
Following is a list of extended school services. A school that provides all eight services is a full-service extended school:
The Government recently published its ten-year strategy for childcare ‘Choice for parents, the best start for children’. This sets out a key role for schools in ensuring that children experience high quality childcare. This will benefit the child, help raise standards in school and help parents both return to work and to balance their work and family life.
The specific elements of the strategy that relate to schools are;
Ealing EYDCP have been working in this way for the last three years. We have worked with schools and childcare providers trying to link these services together and will continue to do so.
We now have 70% of all Primary schools in Ealing offering families access to Out of School Childcare. This number is growing rapidly.
For further information on Extended Schools please see the following websites;