Extended Schools Services in Reading

By 2010, all children and their families will be able to access a range of services in or through their schools. Services such as adult learning, childcare, support for parents, ICT access and even on-site health and social care could be offered on school site or in other local community locations.    

Where children have additional needs they will have swrift and easy access to a range of specialist support services (eg. speech therapy, mental health services, behaviour support) and there will be a co-ordinated referral service using the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) - see top right for more information about CAF.

Benefit for Children and Schools:

• Higher levels of pupil achievement
• Increased pupil motivation and self-esteem
• Additional facilities and equipment
• Greater opportunities for staff for flexible working and career development
• Enhanced partnership working with the community and better school security
• Easier access to essential services for staff, helping staff recruitment and retention

Benefits for Families:

• Improvements in child behaviour and social skills
• Greater parental involvement in children’s learning
• More opportunities for local adult education and family learning
• Greater availability of specialist support for families

Benefits for Communities:

• Better access to essential services
• Improved local availability of sports, arts and other facilities
• Local career development opportunities
• Better supervision of children outside school hours
• Closer relationships with the school

Article		Description
	Extended Schools - Childcare	How the Extended Schools Initiative will improve access to high quality childcare.
	Extended Schools - Community Access	How local communities will be able to access facilities through local schools
	Extended Schools - Support for Parents	How the Extended Schools Initiative will offer a range of support opportunities to parents