Above and beyond

Extended schools services.

Schools which open up their doors to pupils, parents and local people outside of traditional hours can expect improvements in performance.

Other key findings from the report by the Universities of Newcastle and Manchester on their evaluation of Full Service Extended Schools include:

• Extended services can help individuals and families re-engage with learning and can have a significant impact on their life chances

• On the basis of evidence so far there is every reason for schools to persevere with the development and implementation of extended services

• Many of the challenges are being solved and the work of the Training and Development Agency for schools is vital in sharing this good practice

The research comes after OFSTED found that children young people and families benefited from enhanced self confidence, improved relationships, raised aspirations and better attitudes to learning where their school or children’s centre was providing access to extended activities.