Delivering the core offer
The Extended Schools Strategy sets out how the local authority aim to achieve the Government's target of all children able to access the core offer of services through schools by 2009 - a year earlier than Government expectation. This will be achieved across the authority using local partnership model of local Core Offer Partnerships (CoOPs).
To support schools in meeting the challenging target and to ensure that the needs of every community are met using local expertise, the authority is working with schools, Children’s Centres and a wide range of other partners to develop 16 local partnerships – known as local ‘Core Offer Partnerships’ (CoOPs). The local CoOPs will be ‘community focused’ partnerships made up of schools, their governing bodies, children centres, existing childcare providers, the voluntary and community sector, children and young people’s services, the police and other local providers and the community. The vision is for local service providers to work together to ensure that the needs of the community are met by fully utilizing local resources to provide the core offer.
The CoOPs will also be linked to the development of multi-disciplinary teams supporting children, young people and the community. The joint planning of CoOPs and Children’s Centres means that each of the CoOPs will have access to at least one Children’s Centre.
Since September 2006, 12 out of the 16 CoOPs have been supported by the authority to begin their development as community focused partnerships. Using the lessons learnt by other programmes, in particular Sure Start local programmes/ children centres and Education Action Zones, the trailblazer CoOPs are being supported over 2 years to develop the local partnership and joint vision based on the needs of the surrounding community. The 12 trailblazer CoOPs bring together schools, voluntary and community sector partners and Children’s Centres to work though the nationally recognised change management programme and quality assurance process for extended schools ‘Quality in Extended Schools (QES).
By clicking on each of the links below, you will be able to view our plans and progression in each of the core offer services