The first target for extended schools is rapidly approaching. By the end of September the DfES aims to have 2,500 schools providing access to a core of extended services - high-quality childcare, a varied menu of activities, parenting support, and swift and easy referral to a range of specialist support services.
All schools should provide access to extended services by 2010. But, with official figures showing that currently 1,800 schools (74 per cent primary, 22 per cent secondary and 4 per cent special schools) are providing the full core offer, this could be a tall order.
It is a challenge that Anne Longfield, 4Children chief executive, believes is achievable. 'There is a lot of information still to come in from some areas, and there are whole areas that have not been added to the figures,'
she says. 'Three-thousand to 5,000 schools are saying that they are working towards becoming extended. So one way or another, the target will be met.'
A DfES spokesman says, 'Many schools provide something from the extended services menu - the 2005 baseline survey showed that 87 per cent of primary schools and 95 per cent of secondary schools are providing some after-school activities or childcare.
'But we want to ensure that all children, young people and families have access to a minimum "offer", wherever they might live. We are confident that by 2008, half of primary schools and a third of secondary schools will be providing access to the full range of extended services, and by 2010 all schools will be doing so.'
The optimism is not shared by Jackie Nunns, chief executive of the Kids'
City, which operates after-school clubs and holiday play schemes. 'It looks like they won't make the target, and it doesn't bode well if they can't make a little target,' she says. 'I believe there has been no progress made, and the figures are including those schools that were already extended schools.'
Mick Brookes, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, also thinks it unlikely that the Government will meet its aims.
He believes that head teachers are confused. 'They are not quite sure, A, how to put services in place, and B, whether they have to. It would be good if in September they were able to start with some real clarity on this.'
Divided opinion
It's a puzzling picture. While many schools are embracing the agenda, many others appear to be dragging their feet. 'I expect a third of head teachers really want to become extended, a third think it is a good idea but haven't got around to it yet, and a third think maybe it isn't for us,' says Anne Longfield.
Julia Powar, London team manger for ContinYou, a voluntary organisation contracted by the Government to provide the extended schools support service, says, 'Some heads feel that the extended schools agenda has nothing to do with the school's core business of teaching and learning, and thus are reluctant to engage. I believe this is a misunderstanding of the concept of extended services.
'Schools alone cannot address the numerous barriers to learning that exist and they don't have the expertise to meet children's needs in their entirety. If you think of Maslow's heirarchy of needs, then successful learning is most likely to take place when basic needs are met.'
Bridget Pugh, extended schools co-ordinator for Wolverhampton EYDCP, says schools in her area, which has doubled its 2006 Government target, are receptive to the agenda. But there are two concerns - funding and workload.
'Although the Government says there is a lot of money available for establishing extended services, we have found that a lot of schools have this money earmarked for other things because it is not ring-fenced,' she says.
'The other concern is the additional workload on staff, not necessarily the teaching staff but the head teacher and support staff. The unions call it "job creep".'
This worry about workload is one that Therese Allen, head teacher at Wychall Primary School, Birmingham, happily disproves. She says that 60 per cent of her time was being spent on social work issues, but since offering extended services, her time and that of her teaching staff has been freed up (see case study).
Funding questions
Sustainability is a huge challenge and Julia Powar says it needs to be part of the initial planning. 'By working in partnership with other agencies, schools can tap into funding streams that are otherwise unavailable to them. Schools can also pool resources with agencies, both financial and human. It's about creating a win-win situation,' she says.
'Collaboration can help organisations meet their targets much more quickly and deliver improved outcomes. For example, health has the target of halving the under-18 conception rate by 2010. Collaboration between health and schools can help ensure fewer girls fall pregnant, and as a consequence schools benefit because there is less disruption to girls' schooling.
'Developing extended services that link back to the school's core priorities can have a positive impact on children's motivation, attendance, behaviour, attainment and achievement.'
Start-up funding is a stumbling block for Kids' City, which operates after-school clubs and holiday play schemes. The organisation unveiled huge expansion plans in October, aiming to have more than 300 clubs by 2012, but this has been halted. 'We are pulling in our belts,' says Ms Nunns.
'Schools approach us to run services, but no-one is prepared to pay the set-up costs.
'Ofsted, quite rightly, say that at least two members of staff are needed even if there is only one child - who will finance them while we develop the business? We are being made to pay while the clubs break even, which is unlikely to happen during the first three years. There is very little resourcing of the people with the experience and the will to deliver the extended schools agenda and that's a mistake. There needs to be some avenue for providers to access the money to set up.'
Anne Longfield says, 'The Government has recently put out funding guidance, but it is complex. There is a lot to be brought together. It requires energy and willpower to make it work. It is a case of consolidating, building on practice and repackaging services.
'The emphasis is on a joint agenda, with everyone being there to support children. It is a new world we're entering.'
Case study: Wychall Primary School, Birmingham
'Desperation' led head teacher Therese Allen to start offering extended services, with amazing results. Improved community links, increased family support and higher academic attainment for pupils and parents are just some of the benefits. The school was awarded Extended School Team of the Year in last month's 4Children National Childcare Stars Awards.
The school, an amalgamation of two primaries, one of which was under special measures, opened in September 2000 in a deprived area. Many families live in substandard accommodation; there was poor school attendance and a high incidence of mental health issues.
'We tackled the curriculum, teaching practice and behaviour but whatever we did there was a glass ceiling stopping children's achievement,' says Ms Allen. 'We were addressing emotional issues before the children were fit to start learning - we are not qualified social workers and know nothing about counselling on debt or sorting poor housing. I thought there had to be a better way, and applied for the DfES pilot on extended schools.'
The school employs a parent partnership worker, childcare co-ordinator and community project co-ordinator, to move forward the initiative. In addition, there are strong links with health, social services and the voluntary sector, with a resident social worker, community support nurse and family support team. The community was surveyed before starting to offer the extended services to ensure local needs were met.
Family support provision is a large aspect of what the school offers. 'It is only when we work with parents and get them to think what they can do and encourage them to be more pro-active and engage in their children's learning that we see an impact on the children,' says Ms Allen.
To tackle the mental health issues, the Malachi Trust provides musical drama sessions which help identify children in need. The Trust works in partnership with Birmingham Child and Adolescent Health Service, so pupils and families quickly receive support. A support nurse works with families who have chronic health problems, helping raise attendance.
Childcare is provided so parents can access training - two parents are going to university this year - and there is full out-of-school provision during term-time and holidays.
The school has recently been granted children's centre status and will soon start working with children from birth. Strong links have already been forged with community midwives, sexual health and teen pregnancy professionals, and community nursery nurses.
'We used to see families struggle, but that is not the case now,' says Ms Allen. 'People's perceptions have begun to change and now they will approach social workers for help. It is very much a partnership and has enabled the teaching staff to do what they are trained to do, while the other professionals do the rest.'
