Summary

The Government wants all schools to provide access to a core offer of extended services by 2010. The core offer comprises: 8am-6pm all year round childcare; a range of study support activities; parenting support; swift and easy referral to a wide range of specialised support services; and providing wider community access to ICT, sports and arts facilities including adult learning.

Schools in Special Measures

The Local Authority, when drawing up a statement of action with a school that has been placed in special measures, will want to consider how providing access to extended services can help the school to improve. Examples of how the provision of extended services can support improvements include:

• working in partnership with other agencies such as Primary Care Trusts, social services and other specialised support to help identify and deal with problems faced by individual pupils outside of school before they become intractable. These problems, if not dealt with, can impact on pupil attendance, behaviour and ultimately learning. Better access to other agency support can also help free up more time for teachers and enable them to concentrate on teaching
• providing more chances for pupils to engage in study support activities, including breakfast and after school clubs and ‘catch up’ programmes, that match their strengths and interests and which will support their learning and development needs
• providing support to parents such as information sessions and parenting programmes. This can lead to greater parental involvement in the child's education and in the school

An extended schools remodelling adviser is now in place in every local authority and they can provide advice and support on how to develop access to extended services. Further information on extended schools can be found at: www.teachernet.gov.uk/extendedschools.

Below are case studies of two schools that have use the extended schools approach as part of their action plan to come out of special measures.

Lea Manor High School, Luton

Lea Manor High School in Luton went into special measures in May 2000, at the same time losing its status as a specialist language college. There were weaknesses in leadership and governance, standards were low, the curriculum narrow and there were concerns the quality of teaching and learning. ICT provision was under resourced and there was little management data for monitoring and evaluation.

Under the dynamic leadership of the head teacher, Lesley Cooper, the school emerged from special measures in 2002 and has been identified by HMCI as one of the most improved schools in the country.

Lea Manor is a full service extended school, and the extended services allied to a major curriculum overhaul, have had a major impact on school improvement and raised standards. The vocational curriculum – the school has developed excellent courses in catering, construction, hairdressing and childcare – benefits both students and the wider community.

John Salusbury, the deputy head teacher with responsibility for extended services, highlights a number of extended services that have impacted on achievement, motivation and behaviour:

• the extensive programme of study support – Study Plus Club, with popular after school classes and residential study weekends
• the provision of a day nursery that led to the local authority’s decision to locate a Children’s Centre on the campus, benefiting the community, contributing to local regeneration, building parenting skills and providing learning opportunities for students studying CASHE level 1 childcare
• the link with the Marsh Farm Community Development Trust that has supported ICT development and has funded bursaries for successful students
• After School Express and Breakfast Club, a locally organised charity providing childcare and OSHL activities before and after school and through the holidays, that has had a major impact on student participation and access to learning
• the school’s engagement with arts projects, notably its link through the Commonwealth Youth Exchange with Trinidad, linking Luton Carnival with the island
• the Holistic Health Centre, a multi agency centre that addresses a range of health and social care issues, supporting students and their families and addressing barriers to learning

Lea Manor is a school that has reinvented itself, emerging from special measures and going from strength to strength. The school is now applying for Performing Arts Specialist status, further enhancing its community links and extended services.
 
Hengrove Community Arts College, Bristol

Hengrove Community Arts College went into Special Measures in January 2004 as a result of weaknesses in pupil attitude, behaviour and attendance; literacy, numeracy and oracy; and leadership and management.

The subsequent post Ofsted action plan acknowledged the role that the extended schools approach can play in supporting school improvement. Their major achievements and focus include:

• high quality childcare now on site – Year 10 students work there as part of a Child Development course
• working towards Health Schools Award. Much multi-agency work on prevention and intervention including a very popular "Drop-in"
• extensive study support programme including Breakfast Club, Youth Challenges, Year 10 transition, Year 11 Study Support/Revision programme
• extended schools approach and specialist schools approached working in a joined up way
• prioritisation of parent support: drop-in and coffee facility in welcoming environment, encouragement of parents and children working together, much more positive staff attitude to parents – “Our relationships with parents are transformed”
• a clear behaviour improvement strategy which establish choices and consequences for students
• work with primary schools to improve levels of numeracy and literacy on transition is being developed

The headteacher is very clear that developing along extended school lines has been a key feature in the school's improvement. He says that: "Raising achievement in school is about working with the community in a new way, entering into a new contract on what we deliver, what families can do to support us and how we work with other agencies in a coherent way; it's about the whole life of students".