£1.1m for schools to open longer

OLDHAM Council will be given more than £1 million to help schools open longer hours — even in school holidays.

The £1.1 million for the borough is part of a £167 million pot to allow schools to provide “wrap-around” childcare from 8am to 6pm all-year-round with homework clubs and other extra-curricular activities available.

Ministers want all schools to offer access to extended services by 2010 to give pupils in the state sector the same opportunities as those at private school.

Children’s Minister Dawn Primarolo said: “Extended services put schools everywhere at the heart of the community, offering invaluable experiences, extensions to learning and out-of-hours childcare of the highest quality.

In an economic downturn it is even more important for schools to be working with parents and carers to offer as much support as possible to helping them get into and stay in employment wherever possible.

“Extended services give schools a unique opportunity to offer parents this support.

“We are already asking local authorities to pay particular attention to meeting families’ needs over holiday periods and to bring together the full range of childcare and supervised activities on offer for 5-14-year-olds in a way that can be easily understood and accessed by families.”
Ministers hope by making the school day longer it gives more flexibility to parents.

Across the country, 86 per cent of secondary and 81 per cent of primary schools are already offering access to services.

In addition to opening from 8am to 6pm and running different leisure activities, the “extended schools” will offer parenting and family support and access to specialist services including speech therapy.