Extended schools provide services outside school hours for children, their families and the community. These include childcare, activities and help with learning.
These services are designed to help parents balance work and family commitments, help your children with their studies and give them a wider range of experiences and interests.
They also let the wider community use school's facilities. For example, helping you learn about information technology or improving your writing and maths skills.
Extended services outside school
Extended services aren't just provided through schools. Your local youth club, nursery or advice centre may also be part of the scheme.
For example, you could also get information about healthy eating and nutrition or advice on managing finances – including debt counselling and availability of welfare and benefits.
What services could I find?
Wraparound childcare
This is available through primary schools from 8am-6pm, over 48 weeks of the year, including the school holidays. Childcare could be at school or at another local provider. If it's not on the school site, the school will arrange supervised travel for younger children during term-time. Childcare has been available through all primary schools since September 2010.
A varied range of activities
Many schools already provide after school activities such as homework clubs – extended schools are expanding on these services to provide activities such as study support, music, art, drama and sports clubs. All East Sussex secondary schools offer these activities. About half of East Sussex primary schools and most special schools provide a variety of activities.
Parenting and family support
This could include advice at key stages in your child's schooling, courses in parenting skills, behaviour management, and helping your child to learn.
Access to specialist services
Schools are developing closer links with specialist services such as speech therapy, family support and children's mental health.
Community use of facilities
The local community will have wider access to school facilities, for example in sports, the arts and in adult education.
What you told us
In 2009 we asked people with school-aged children to let us know what kind of services should be provided through schools:
What are the benefits of extended services in schools?
These schools work with parents, pupils and local services to provide activities according to the needs of their community. The benefits should be wide-ranging and include:
- better attitudes for pupils, with improved self-confidence and relationships with others
- more choice, flexibility, and convenience for parents, with easier access to the support they need
- simpler and quicker access to health and social services for children means that problems affecting their learning can be more easily dealt with
- better test results for pupils
- more facilities, resources and equipment available to the local community.
Future plans
Over three quarters of East Sussex schools are already providing access to extended services, but the Government wants all schools to do this, so that all children and young people, and their families, can benefit wherever they live.
Contact us
For more information, contact the Early Years, Childcare and Extended Schools Service.
East Sussex County Council