Margaret Hodge, minister for children, said the findings of a research team from the universities of Newcastle, Manchester and Brighton vindicated Government policy. She called for the establishment of more extended schools and said, 'This research confirms that schools providing extended services are a valuable practical resource for children, parents and the local community.
'Making the school the focus of a wide range of activity also has the knock-on benefit of improved pupil behaviour, attendance and educational achievement.'
Mrs Hodge spoke at a conference on extended schools last week that examined the experience of the 25 pathfinder projects which have been running for the past year and launched the 61 full-service extended schools recently announced by the DfES.
Other speakers included Alan Dyson, professor of education at Manchester University, who is a leading member of the research team which is due to publish its full report in December. He said, 'This is an important movement which has the full backing of the DfES. While there is no blueprint for what extended schools should provide, there is a wealth of experience out there in the field.
'We have visited all the pathfinder schools and have accumulated a great deal of evidence about the positive outcomes extended schools can produce both educationally and socially.'
The Government defines extended schools as schools that provide 'a range of services and activities often beyond the school day to help meet the needs of its pupils, their families and the wider community'. It is providing Pounds 133.6m over the next three years to local education authorities for schools wanting to provide childcare, healthcare, family learning and other services.
Mrs Hodge also announced the creation of a national extended schools support service managed by ContinYou, which will provide support and guidance to schools and their partners on how to develop extended services.
Anne Longfield, chief executive of the Kids' Clubs Network, said 70 per cent of out-of-school childcare takes place in schools and 'therefore they are clearly very important places'. She added, 'It's great to see the trailblazers of extended schools up and running and to see that the evidence being gathered backs up what we know to be true in practice for many years.' She said the model and culture of extended schools should eventually become a reality for every school.
* See Special Report, p10-11