Extended Schools and Inclusive Learning
Sandwell's strategy for ensuring that all children, young people, families and communities have easy access to high quality services through schools and local partners. The core services include childcare, out of hours learning, sports, art, ICT, parenting support, referral to specialist services and adult and family learning.
Wrap Around Services - The Consumer's View
The recent publication of the prospectus, "Extended Schools: Access to opportunities and services for all", highlights the Governments vision that all schools will become Extended Schools by 2010 and provide a core offer of activities and services.
The summary of the core offer within the prospectus is:
- High quality wraparound childcare provided on the school site or through other local providers with supervised transfer arrangements where appropriate, available 8am-6pm all year round
- A varied menu of activities to be on offer - e.g. homework clubs and study support, sport (at least two hours a week beyond the school day for those who want it)
- Parenting support
- Swift and easy referral to a wide range of specialist support services
- Wider community access to ICT, sports and arts facilities, including adult learning.
- Targets have been set for the core offer to be put in place.
What this means for Sandwell is that:
- By 2008 - at least one third of all secondary schools (7) and half of all primary schools (50) will need to have the core offer in place
- By 2010 every school will need to provide the offer.
Sandwell’s Extended Schools Unit has just celebrated its second birthday, and in response to the prospectus and core offer has developed its three year vision for Sandwell : The Extended Schools Strategy 2006-2009.’
The strategy indicates how we will respond to the core offer and in particular shows how we will work in partnership with a range of services and providers.
In Sandwell we are fortunate that we are ahead of the game compared to many other authorities. This is reflected in our meetings and discussions with DfES, National Remodelling Team and Continyou and in some of the interesting and innovative developments and projects that have supported the Extended Schools agenda.
This area of the website highlights some of the innovative practice that schools and their partners have been delivering alongside Sandwell’s progress towards all schools providing a range of accessible good quality provision and fulfilling the requirements of the core offer.