Extended services must be well-researched, robust in their business planning and appropriately funded if they are to be sustainable in the long-term. Schools should consider the full range of funding options, including charging for services, with a view to keeping services operating beyond the initial funding period.
Government funding
Over the next three years, the government will be investing £1.3 billion in the Extended Schools programme. Some of this funding is being routed via local authorities through the standards fund, the Area Based Grant and the Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant (2008/09 only). Funds are also going direct to schools via the school standards grant and the dedicated schools grant, some of which is for supporting personalised learning during and beyond the school day. Funding can be used flexibly – for example, to appoint a manager to develop extended services across a cluster of schools or employ a parent support adviser.
Funding to support reaching out
In the Children’s Plan, the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) set out plans to make £265.5 million in funding available to schools between 2008 and 2011. This funding will help schools provide a comprehensive range of exciting, high-quality extended services, and ensure that these are accessible to all children and young people, focusing on children in care and those disadvantaged by economic circumstances.
Other sources of funding
Schools are also accessing funding for extended services from a range of other sources, including neighbourhood renewal, charities, the National Lottery and private sponsors, for example to support access to breakfast clubs and study support sessions. This funding is often time bound, so services will need to be made sustainable by other means in the longer term.
Sustainability
Schools can also fund services by sharing costs with other schools and through partnerships with other agencies. In some cases, services will be sustained by charging a fee. Services which schools could charge for include:
- all childcare, whether delivered directly or through partner providers
- community access, for example to gyms and sports facilities, and
- out-of-hours activities including sport, music and drama clubs.
Before they can charge for services, schools must have in place a charging policy, developed by the governing body in consultation with parents.
Some schools choose to provide free access to selected study support activities and to offer affordable services for low income families. Charges made for childcare are eligible for the childcare element of the working tax credit.
See also
