Overall the researchers concluded that extended schools have important positive effects on families, children and communities. However, in order to work successfully, extended schools need dedicated management structures and team leaders.
In light of this, it is clear that there is much that the extended schools project can learn from out-of-school clubs. Those clubs based in schools, of which there are approximately 5,000, have been run with the support of the school but with their own management team for several years. So, schools which already have an out-of-school club are well on their way to becoming the extended schools of the future.
The researchers also found that the extended school is an important catalyst for enhancing collaboration between education and other agencies.
Key to the success of the extended school, according to the report, is the ability to respond to the community's needs. Once again extended schools can learn from out-of-school clubs, which have found that in order to remain viable they must respond to what families need rather than imposing their own professional view.
Not all successful out-of-school clubs will be in schools - nor should they be - but out-of-school providers have long recognised the benefits of access to schools for out-of-school provision. Now it seems that schools too are recognising the benefits. The challenge will be to ensure the development of out-of-school programmes in schools that build on out-of-school childcare to offer the opportunities needed.