The Government has a long term vision for schools to be at the heart of the community, offering a range of activities and services beyond the school day that help meet the needs of children, their families and the wider community.
There is no single model for extended services and not all schools will be expected to offer extended services from their own sites. Primary schools in particular may wish to work in partnership with other schools and pool their facilities. However, expectations for schools deemed to be secondary will be for them to open from 8am to 6pm all year round, offering a range of activities for young people and adults from the local area.
The Government's Every Child Matters (ECM) objectives are to ensure that children:
Schools are located right at the heart of the community and so are ideally placed to provide integrated services for children and young people in line with these objectives.
Extended Schools respond to the needs of their community and work in partnership with other agencies to raise standards for their students. In doing so, they also aim to improve the quality of life for everyone associated with them. Extended Schools integrate this wider working into their school improvement development plans and OfSTED will look for their contribution to the Every Child Matters agenda.
