What do we really understand by the term 'extended school'? Is it about an extended day? Extending the use of a public building that is empty in the evenings, weekends and holidays? Is it about bringing in revenue to prop up an ailing budget? Or is it about working to improve community services?
As someone who has worked hard to extend North Prospect Primary School in Plymouth, I am beginning to wonder if the world has gone mad. Before we have grasped the potential of bringing together agencies to improve children's services, we are already debating about how we can sustain them by creating an internal market. Do we actually think that seeking every opportunity for school income will encourage a new approach to the delivery of children's services?
I believe extended schools can learn much from Sure Start local programmes and children's centres. They have promoted a way of working that has crossed agency boundaries. This has made agencies reshape and pool their resources and knowledge, while challenging traditional working methods.
Service development has not been finance-led and has deliberately avoided seizing every opportunity to secure financial income or institutional control.
I believe extended schools are about headteachers relinquishing control of public facilities and abandoning institutional thinking in favour of enriching children's learning experiences and benefiting the whole community.
Sustainability must be through a universal service approach in which we all are equal partners pooling our resources. Schools will gain from developing fruitful working partnerships and sharing public facilities and resources.
Let's not kill the idea with an internal market before we have had a chance to maximise our collective resources from the public purse.
to create innovation, avoid replication and truly improve services for children.
Importantly, this social revolution has placed parents and families at the heart of decision-making. In North Prospect it has given parents the role of developing and shaping children's services, often beyond the expertise of teachers or professional workers.
