Parents will be targeted in a new campaign launched today, to help raise awareness of the range of activities, services and advice available through schools, as latest data shows that more than 90 per cent of schools are now offering extended services.
Over 20,000 schools are currently offering access to services for families in their local communities and thousands of children and parents are already benefiting. The new campaign aims to get even more families taking up the services available - with radio and press adverts starting today.
Schools are working in partnership with local services in their area to offer a range of activities for families, including:
· before and after school activities including homework clubs, sport, music and arts activities - providing young people with a safe place to be before and after school
· childcare from 8am-6pm for 48 weeks a year for primary schools, on the school site or through other local providers
· parenting and family support, including parenting programmes and family learning sessions
· swift and easy access to specialist services such as speech and language therapy and mental health services
· community use of facilities including adult and family learning and information technology services
Commenting on today's campaign, Children's Minister Dawn Primarolo said:
"Extended services are a fantastic way for parents and families to access a range of activities, support and advice in a quick and easy way. I hope that our new campaign will help even more families use and benefit from the services on offer in their local area.
"As part of the Government's vision for 21st century schools, we are committed to offering all young people and families access to exciting and constructive activities and services - regardless of background or income. We know that extended services can help to raise young people's motivation, aspiration and achievement, as well as improve behaviour. That's why we've provided over £200m to subsidise extended services for the most disadvantaged families."
The Government is providing over £200m funding from 2008-11 to help support children and families from disadvantaged backgrounds, through the extended services subsidy. The subsidy is helping schools to ensure that services are available to all young people - including those who may not normally be able to afford them.
The Rt. Hon Ed Balls MP, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families has been invited to speak at Education 2010 and extended services is just one of the key areas set to be covered in the opening keynote address. To see the full list of areas he has been invited to speak about, please click here
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More than 30,000 pupils aged 14 and 15 who need extra time and support to reach GCSEs, Diplomas or Apprenticeships are to benefit from personalised help after the Government announced a £20m investment in new Foundation Learning, a key part of the 14-19 reforms.
Every local authority in England will deliver Foundation Learning - dubbed "stepping-stone" learning because its bite-size, flexible structure is tailored to individual needs and gives pupils a boost to get to Level 2 (GCSEs, Apprenticeships and Diplomas) - from September 2010 after successful pilot schemes in 22 areas.
The types of additional help pupils will get include:
- specialist teaching, often with a vocational focus
- personal tuition in school
- small-size classes
- extra support for maths, English and ICT
- learning mentors
- improved personal and social development opportunities
- off-site work-based provision, including with colleges and training providers
Many pupils will do GCSEs or a Foundation Diploma, for instance, alongside their personalised Foundation Learning programme, as well as elements of the national curriculum.
Schools Minister Iain Wright, who made the announcement today on a visit to Clapton Girls' Technology College, an 11-19 school in Hackney, east London, said:
"We are making historic reforms at 14-19 level, and Foundation Learning is a vital element of this programme.
"It's so important we give proper, personalised support to those young people who need it and the great strength of Foundation Learning is that pupils' options are kept open - when they really start to achieve, and their ambitions grow, then they can move on to Diplomas, GSCEs or Apprenticeships.
"The pilots have shown us there's really strong demand for Foundation Learning and there's growing evidence that it has a very positive impact on young people's attainment."
Today's £20m investment is development money, for Key Stage 4, to help get Foundation Learning established in every local authority. The allocations reflect the numbers of pupils not achieving Level 2 by age 16. In the longer term it is expected that schools will fund it from their Dedicated Schools Grant. Local authorities will work with schools and their 14-19 partnerships to decide how best to use the money in 2010/11.
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Gordon Brown announced that free laptops with broadband internet are to be provided to more than a quarter of a million low-income households across the UK in a bid to boost exam results and job chances.
The Prime Minister launched the national rollout of the £300 million Home Access Scheme, a government programme managed by Becta, the UK government's agency responsible for driving the effective use of technology in education. He stated: "We want every family to become a broadband family, and we want every home linked to a school. For those finding it difficult to afford this, today I can announce the nationwide rollout of our home access programme to get laptops and broadband at home for 270,000 families".
He went onto add that it would see every family in the country linked to their children's schools to access progress reports on attainment, behaviour and other needs. As well as helping pupils with homework, trials of the scheme had also proved invaluable to single parents with finding work and keeping in touch with friends.
Commenting on yesterday’s Home Access launch, confirmed Education 2010 speaker, Stephen Crowne, Chief Executive, Becta, said: "Equipping our current and future generations with the necessary skills to compete in a digital world is crucial to our future. Through innovative programmes such as Home Access, Becta is driving this development. We can see in schools and colleges across Britain how the use of technology breeds greater success for students and teachers alike." Stephen Crowne will discuss the Home Access Scheme as part of his keynote address: ‘Harnessing Technology Implementation Plan - Developing a Technology Confident Education System’ at Education 2010.
To see Stephen Crowne’s full plenary address, please click here.
Young people across the country stand to benefit from £31 million of Government investment in world-class youth facilities, announced today by Children’s Minister Dawn Primarolo.
Eight projects in some of the most deprived areas of the country have been awarded funding through Round 2 of the flagship myplace programme. This continues the Government’s commitment to provide young people with exciting things to do and safe places to go when they’re most needed. The successful projects will be led by:
º London Borough of Enfield
º Voluntary Action, Luton
º Square Chapel Trust, Halifax
º Dorset County Council, Weymouth
º Coast and Moors Voluntary Action, Scarborough
º Poplar Housing and Regeneration Community Association, Tower Hamlets
º Hull City Council
º London Borough of Lewisham
The new projects announced today will provide young people in disadvantaged areas with activities as diverse as street dance, cooking, filmmaking and canoeing. The myplace centres will also be providing support services and advice - working closely with local authorities and the wider community - to help support some of the most disengaged young people.
Children’s Minister Dawn Primarolo said: “I’m delighted that young people in eight new areas across the country will benefit from the record levels of investment we are making in providing world-class youth facilities.”
With a total investment of £270 million, myplace underlines the Government’s commitment to giving young people the resources and opportunities they need to get the best possible start in life.
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The Pre-Budget Report announcement today by the Chancellor Alastair Darling means schools are guaranteed an overall 0.7 per cent real terms annual average increase in funding for 2011-12 and 2012-13. Funding for 16-19 learning will rise by 0.9 per cent in real terms. Today’s announcements also include an extra £202m in 2010-11 to fund an extra 50,000 young people in learning.
By combining efficiency savings with extra real terms investment in resources, investing in the core services of early years, Sure Start and schools and colleges we will be able to meet frontline spending needs and deliver our guarantees to pupils, parents and school leavers to meet our Children’s Plan commitments.
Ed Balls said: “I believe schools will warmly welcome the Chancellor’s announcement today that they are guaranteed real terms rises for the next three years. And the extra funding announced today will also mean we can meet our September Guarantee to school leavers over the next year and in future years as we raise the education leaving age to 18.
“The Pre-Budget Report sets out a balanced package of measures to secure economic recovery and go for growth, reduce the deficit in a fair way and protect frontline services including schools, colleges and children’s centres. This is a tough settlement for schools but the combination of real terms rises in funding for schools and tougher expectations on efficiencies means schools will have the resources to meet the frontline cost pressures they face.
“By preparing now and in the coming months to make efficiency savings schools can build on these real terms rises to protect frontline delivery. This means we can protect the record numbers of teachers and teaching assistants and deliver on our guarantees to pupils and parents, such as one-to-one tuition and catch up support for children falling behind.
“And following our announcement this year of 18 local authority projects moving forward with Building Schools for the Future programme, taking forward our commitment to rebuild or refurbish all secondary schools, we will announce a further tranche of BSF projects in the spring.”
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