Extended Schools
Headington Partnership Extended Services
What are Extended Services?
They are services which extend the life and remit of the school, in order to add extra support for all children and their families, but particularly the most vulnerable. The schools must consult regularly with parents, young people and other community members and then aim to provide, either themselves if it’s needed and possible, or through other agencies or just give information about, a range of services, activities and support.
The official ‘core offer’ for all schools involves:
- 8am-6pm childcare and/or a 'safe place to be' for older children, during term time and the school holidays
- a range of activities out of school hours, including help with homework
- help for you as a parent & chances to learn together as a family
- support for you and your child as soon as possible, from the right people, when extra help is needed
- access to school facilities out of hours, where suitable, for learning
In Headington, and particularly in Barton, there is already so much available through the Children’s, Youth and Neighbourhood Centres, music service, churches and other voluntary groups, it is often just a case of letting you know what and where, through the website, noticeboard (see below) and newsletters, but we know there are also gaps which we are beginning to fill, by working together with health, youth, music, social and other services.
We have a Partnership website: www.headington.partnership.org.uk and there is an Extended Services noticeboard outside on the wall near the office window.
Headington Partnership employs a team of five staff : Extended Services Manager – Lesley Williams, Home School Community Link Worker – Tresa Knight, Primary Schools’ Counsellor and Play Therapist – Sue Harrison and Carolyn Thomas, Go4it! Administrator – Chris Blakey, all of whom work closely with the staff in each school to ensure necessary information is shared and there isn’t repetition of support. We need your feedback as to whether the system works for you.
Go4it!
The last Government allocated national funding to a ‘disadvantage subsidy grant’, which Oxfordshire is tagging more positively as 'Go4it', available until August 2011. Through the Partnership, young people who are economically disadvantaged can be supported in accessing out of school hours activities, aiming to promote their well-being, narrow the attainment gap and improve achievement for all.
Children who qualify for free school meals, are ‘looked after’ or are asylum seekers, should talk first to their own teacher or Mrs Scholes or one of the Learning Mentors, Mrs Butler and Mrs Tuckwell and ask for help to complete a simple form to tell us what club or activity they would like to join or go to, after school, at weekends or in the holidays. The form is available to download here. Lots more children should be using the funding before it finishes in the summer, have a go!