Contact:

David Wright, Education Officer (Extended Schools) Adult and Community Learning

Unit. Telephone: 01962 846698. E-mail: [email protected]

Anthea Bastow, Extended Services Remodelling Adviser, Education Personnel Services.

Telephone: 01329 316238. E-mail: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 The report updates the Executive Member for Children's Services on changes to the Government's initiative for the development of extended schools since the report presented to the Education Policy Review Committee on 15 March 2005. It describes the progress being made in Hampshire and explains how the Standards Fund grant made available to the County Council is being used to support schools. It also describes the Extended Schools Remodelling Support Programme launched in Autumn 2005 to assist schools with the roll-out of the extended services agenda.

1.2 The Executive Member is invited to support the progress being made and the proposals for the future direction of the extended schools initiative.

2. Background

2.1 The Government's initial strategy was to fund the creation of a number of `full service extended schools' across the country. In 2005, each Local Authority was required to nominate at least one school or group of schools to develop as a full-service model. The County Council's chosen approach was to base development on school clusters and two were nominated to the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) for development as full-service clusters led by Brune Park Community College in Gosport and Wyvern Technology College in Eastleigh. A third was under development in Havant as part of a DfES funded Behaviour Improvement Programme. A Standards Fund grant was made available to the County Council to resource the development and it was also expected by the DfES that the grant would be used to build capacity for delivering extended services in other schools.

2.2 During 2005/06 the emphasis in the national initiative moved away from the development of full-service extended schools to a more universal approach targeting all schools. In June 2005 the DfES announced a `core offer' of extended services which it expected all children and families would be able to access at or through their local school by 2010. The core extended services are described as follows:

· high quality childcare (8am-6pm) provided on the school site or through other local providers.

· a varied menu of activities, including study support - such as homework clubs, sports, music tuition, arts and crafts, visits to museums, business and enterprise activities.

· parenting support - including information sessions and family learning.

· wider community access to school facilities - including ICT, sports and arts facilities and adult learning opportunities.

· swift and easy access to a wide range of specialist support services.

2.3 The DfES began to promote the concept of all schools becoming extended schools with some going on to develop as full-service schools over time. The DfES set targets expecting the core offer to be available at half of all primary schools and one third of all secondary schools by 2008.

2.4 The importance of schools working in partnership was highlighted. More importance was attached to engaging with children, parents and communities in the planning of extended services so that they respond to actual local need. Increasingly the phrase `extended services in and around schools' began to be used alongside `extended schools'. The definition of an extended school published on the DfES website describes an extended school as `one that recognises that it cannot work alone in helping children and young people to achieve their potential and therefore decides to work in partnership with others who have an interest in outcomes for children'.

2.5 The DfES also expressed the need to work with existing service providers in communities so as not to destabilise existing provision. The original childcare offer, for example, was redefined to enable a school to be able to `signpost' parents to provision made elsewhere, rather than necessarily being delivered on the school site.

2.6 In April 2005, the Government charged the National Remodelling Team (NRT) with putting in place a training support programme for schools to be delivered through local authorities. The County Council was required to nominate an Extended Schools Remodelling Advisor (ESRA) and to train a number of Extended School Remodelling Consultants (ESRCs) to deliver a national programme of extended schools remodelling workshops. The ESRA and the consultants, the delivery of the remodelling programme and the on-going support of the schools engaged was all expected to be funded from the extended schools Standards Fund grant (SFG). The County Council opted to split the ESRA role between the Education Officer for Extended Schools and a part-time officer in the Education Personnel service, who had experience of the previous remodelling work with schools.

2.7 The NRT (now merged with the Training and Development Agency - TDA) then set targets for local authorities for the number of schools to be engaged in the remodelling programme and more recently the number of schools delivering the full core offer. Local authorities have listed all their individual schools on a national data base, and must update entries as schools start to deliver any of the core services.

2.8 Alongside the development of extended schools, local authorities have also been set demanding targets for the establishment of children's centres. It is expected that children's centres will contribute to the provision of extended services in local communities, particularly with regard to childcare and family support services for the under-fives, and become full partners in any local planning of extended services.

2.9 A recent national evaluation of the full-service extended school initiative and a 2006 OFSTED report into extended schools and children's centres, have indicated that extended schools can generate positive outcomes for pupils, their families and wider communities. For pupils this includes improved attainment, attendance, attitude and behaviour, and for families, a positive impact on parental involvement in their children's education. Extended schools can also make a valuable contribution to neighbourhood renewal and community cohesion by creating local centres of learning and places where different sectors of the community can take part in activities.

3. Hampshire's response - funding

3.1 In 2005/06 the County Council received a DfES Standards Fund grant (SFG) of £1.3m as part of a three year programme. In 2006/07 the grant was £1.4m and a similar level of funding is expected in 2007/08. In addition to supporting the two full-service models, the grants have been used to fund a wide range of extended provision projects in schools (Table 1). A steering group set up to consider funding applications from clusters of schools used the following criteria to assess the project proposals:

o impact on school improvement and Every Child Matters (ECM) outcomes

o evidence of community consultation/needs analysis

o evidence of partnership working

o sustainability

o clear success measures.

Table 1: Number of extended school projects supported through use of the Standards Fund Grant

3.2 The SFG funding has been used primarily to support schools in building their capacity to deliver services through:

o releasing staff time or engaging new staff to undertake research, build partnerships applying for external funding and co-ordinating provision across school clusters.

o developing partnerships with key agencies and consulting with the main stakeholders (children, parents, communities and agencies) about the services needed.

o reducing barriers to development e.g. for materials, equipment and the decoration or refurbishment of space to accommodate extended activities.

3.3 The Standards Fund grant was also used to support the 12 primary schools engaged in the `Better chances: better lives' project, and create an extended schools website for schools and partners.

3.4 The impact of all the funded projects is currently being evaluated, and successful projects will be made available as case studies.

4. Hampshire's response - remodelling

4.1 Since November 2005 schools have been encouraged to form clusters and engage with local community partners in an extended schools remodelling support programme. It comprises a series of four day workshops scheduled within a six to nine month period and aims to help schools to create partnerships with other local agencies and build capacity to provide access to the core offer by 2010. Following two initial pilots, the programme structure was modified to provide greater flexibility in delivery in response to different schools' starting points and local priorities. A cohort of 20 consultants, drawn from a range of disciplines and agencies, work in small teams to facilitate the programme.

4.2 The Government has set engagement and delivery targets for the County Council. Table 2 shows progress to date.

Table 2. Engagement and delivery targets in Hampshire

* 40 schools = target figure for larger authorities

5. Hampshire's response - internal coordination.

5.1 Management arrangements have been agreed within the Children's Services Department to ensure a close working relationship with the officers managing delivery of children's centres. An Extended Schools Project Team works in liaison with a Children's Centres Project Team and, after trialling different models, the department has now settled on a common stakeholder group comprising key partners for the development of both extended schools and children's centres. The membership includes representatives from the voluntary sector and schools.

6. The way forward.

6.1 Reports on extended schools have been presented to the Children's Services Department Management Team and to the Children and Young People's Management Board. The resulting discussions suggested a set of principles and priorities for action which should guide the future development of extended schools in Hampshire. These have also been shaped through consultation with the Stakeholders' Group. They seek to ensure that rather than being created in isolation for their own sake, extended schools in Hampshire will be central to the Change for Children Programme and school improvement. Together, they aim to give some sense of direction to the next phases of extended school development.

6.2 Consequently, it is proposed that the strategic development of extended schools is supported by the following key considerations:

· That the engagement of schools and their partners with the remodelling programme continues to be promoted through to 2008 and those who have already commenced the programme are further supported to ensure they continue to work in collaboration rather than working alone.

· That extended school provision continues to be complementary to children's centre services development in the super output areas to ensure coherent consultation with the community and integrated provision is delivered by the most appropriate provider.

· That local authority and partner agency colleagues understand the inter-relationships with other service developments and targets and that the support programme provides an effective vehicle for the delivery of the Change for Children Programme.

· That county school improvement leaders and partners assist schools in their understanding of the new definitions of school effectiveness and the contribution an extended services approach can make to achievement and attainment.

· That both the new capital strategy programme to rebuild, refurbish and upgrade all primary schools, and the Building Schools for the Future programme to rebuild or remodel all secondary schools, by 2020, consider facilities for co-location and delivery of extended services.

6.3 Additionally, local planning and support for extended services needs to be integrated with other county wide development and to be consistent with relevant strategies and policies. Examples include the following:

· Developments in local parenting support programmes and family learning take account of the county's parenting strategy and vice versa.

· Local consultation and participation processes are informed by county guidance and are complementary to county participation and other consultation activity eg HATs.

· Systems for school based `Swift and easy referral' and the development of on-site specialist services are compatible with county plans for the Common Assessment Framework, the Information Sharing Strategy, the delivery of the `Windscreen of Needs' through the care pathways and the work/make up of the proposed multi-disciplinary locality teams.

· The county strategy for youth provision and the county pilot for Youth Support is integrated within the extended services programme.

· Local partnership and governance arrangements take account of the governance needs for extended schools and children's centres.

· The county transport strategy and guidance informs and takes account of the need for families to access childcare and other service provision - particularly in remote, rural situations.

6.4 Schools will need additional support as they start to plan the delivery of extended services in local partnerships. The following actions are proposed:

· That guidance is provided on charging policies which takes account of the access needs of more disadvantaged groups, and on third party contracts, lettings and licensing arrangements.

· That special schools receive additional support to assist them in working within their local communities and address the out of hours needs of those children who do not live within that community.

· That county revenue and capital budget allocations for developing the extended schools childcare offer give priority to the access needs of children with special needs.

· That the county continues its strategy for supporting head teacher work/life balance by, for example, encouraging local clusters to appoint jointly funded community based extended service coordinators and community schools to consider the further development of the community manager role.

· That all fund holders are charged with ensuring schools and other providers address sustainability issues and business planning in their service planning.

· That a range of local authority services beyond the remodelling team provides support for schools and their partners.

· That officers responsible for individual elements of quality standards review and develop coherent support and guidance for service providers.

7. Consultation

7.1 Head teachers and governors have been consulted through briefing meetings and reports to governor forum meetings. Working with the Hampshire Children and Family Forum, a series of briefing meetings were also held for community partners and voluntary organisations across the county during 2005/06.

7.2 The extended schools remodelling workshops bring partners and schools together to plan extended services jointly in their communities. The workshops also provide guidance material to help schools with their local consultation planning with children young people, families and the local community.

7.3 Regular meetings of the new stakeholder group, which includes representatives from schools, children's centres, community partners, the voluntary sector and other agencies, will ensure ongoing consultation about future development of the initiative.

8. Legal implications

None

9. Financial implications

9.1 The County Council received a Standards Fund Grant (SFG) of £1.3m in 2005/06 and £1.4m in 2006/07 to support the development of extended schools. It is expected that a similar level of SFG will be allocated to the County Council in 2007/08 but funding beyond this date is uncertain. Schools are required to make the delivery of their extended services financially sustainable, and other funding streams, such as the General Sure Start Grant, LSC funding for adult learning, and School Standards Grants, are available to support specific service delivery and the continuing development of services.

10. Personnel implications

10.1 The Education Officer (Extended Schools), additional ESRA and the cost of the ESRCs are all being paid for from the SFG. Additionally a part-time administration officer post was established using the SFG, and some of the funding given to schools is being used to create fixed-term posts as cluster coordinators and home-school workers.

10.2 An update on the development of extended schools is given regularly at meetings of the Conditions of Service Working Party (COSWOP). Concerns have been expressed about the impact on head teacher and school staff workload. The DfES has made it clear that there is no expectation that teachers will be directly involved in the delivery or direction of extended services whether delivered on the school site or elsewhere.

11. Impact assessment

11.1 A key focus of the extended schools initiative is to provide access to services and opportunities for all children and families. Special attention is being given to ensure extended provision is targeted to those in disadvantaged communities. The initiative is therefore planned to impact positively on disadvantaged groups.

11.2 The importance of carrying out an impact assessment for equality and diversity is part of the remodelling workshops, and school clusters are encouraged to have regard to such matters when developing local services. As the initiative develops analysis of the impact on children with disabilities and learning difficulties, special needs and from black and ethnic backgrounds will be undertaken.

11.3 Additional support has been given this year to Hampshire's special schools to undertake strategic research into how they could be better equipped to engage with the extended schools initiative. A number of school clusters are also using their funding support to target certain hard to reach ethnic and traveller groups.

12. Crime prevention issues

12.1 The police are represented on the Extended Schools and Children's Centres Stakeholder Group. They also fund a number of community police officer posts on school sites through the safer schools initiative which helps to underpin extended school work.

13. Views of the Local County Councillor

13.1 This report relates to county-wide developments.

Recommendation

That support is given to the progress being made and the proposals for the future direction of the extended schools initiative.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background documents

The following documents discuss facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB: the list excludes

1. Published works

Documents, which disclose exempt or confidential information as, defined in the Act.2.

3.List documents here or type `none'.

None