Extended Schools
What was an Extended School?
An extended school was a school working in partnership to provide access to all year round extended services.
Extending the range of services offered to children and their parents helps schools to identify and overcome barriers to attainment early on. Additional activities and services enable children to pursue wider interests, develop new skills and access any specialist help that they might need to resolve difficulties and fulfil their potential. Parents and communities benefit too from advice and support and become more engaged with children’s learning and development.
Access to a good range of services should be central to every schools improvement strategy so every child achieves their full potential.
A report from OFSTED* found that:
The major benefits to children, young people and adults were enhanced self confidence, improved relationships, raised aspirations and better attitudes to learning.
The core services that schools provides access to were:
- Varied menu of activities including study support and childcare (primary) and a safe place to be (secondary)
- Parent support including information and advice on raising children and support services, information sessions for fathers and mothers on joining reception and secondary transfer, family learning opportunities.
- Swift and easy access. This means schools working in partnership taking a multi professional approach to the early identification of and support and intervention for children with additional needs and at risk of poor outcomes.
- Community access. Where schools have facilities suitable for community access particularly for youth activities and adult learning they open them up.
The Extended School programme in Hertfordshire
Led by the Hertfordshire Children’s Trust Partnership** the County took a consortia approach to extended schools. The consortia were identified based on communities that make sense to children and families and are co-terminus with communities served by children’s centres. Within District and Borough Council boundaries the consortia worked closely with their District Children’s Trust Partnership.
In each consortium one school was selected by the schools to become the “hub” taking on the role of extended schools champion. Revenue funding to support consortium developments was routed through the hub school. In Hertfordshire we joined up Extended Schools and Children’s Centre developments so there was continuity for children across the whole 0-19 age range.
38 consortia involved over 500 schools in extended services.
More information can be found on the Hertfordshire Extended Schools Website:
More information on Hertfordshire Children's Centres can be found at:
*Ofsted (2006) Extended Services in Schools and Children's Centres, Report 2006.
** The Hertfordshire Children's Trust Partnership (HCTP) came to an end in June 2011 having successfully established and driven joint working arrangements and better outcomes for particularly the most vulnerable children and young people in the county.
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