|
Did you know that of the 800 square miles that Cheshire covers, over 80% of it is rural?
Latest population statistics estimate that around 680,000 people live in our County and 40% of these live in rural areas. This is why Cheshire County Council were keen to take part in a national pilot to solve the challenges faced by rural schools and communities in meeting the the needs of the extended services in and around schools programme.
What do we mean by Extended Services in and around schools?
The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) says that an extended school is ‘one that provides a range of services and activities often beyond the school day, to help meet the needs of its pupils, their families and the wider community’.
The Government has set out the following five core offer areas that by 2010 children, young people and their families should have access to:
- quality childcare 8am – 6pm all year round
- a varied menu of study support activities
- parenting support
- swift and easy referral to a wide range of specialist support services
- wider community access to ICT, sports and arts facilities including adult learning
This programme is at the heart of the Every Child Matters agenda which is a major reform for Children’s Services. Every Child Matters is working to improve the five areas which children and young people have said are most important:
- being healthy
- staying safe
- enjoying and achieving
- making a positive contribution
- achieving economic wellbeing
Schools are at the heart of communities, especially in rural areas, and so are well placed to act as hubs of local provision providing a range of services and activities. Extended services are very much linked to how well children do at school. They focus on well-being issues and help to take away barriers so that children can achieve their full potential.
What is the Rural Pilot Project?
Cheshire, along with Dorset, Norfolk and Shropshire, are working to find solutions to how families in rural areas of our County can access the core offer services in and around schools. Working with the national Training and Development Agency (TDA) and three clusters of rural schools in the County, the outcomes of the project will help to develop extended services across other rural areas in Cheshire and, indeed, across the Country. This will mean that wherever children, young people and their families live in Cheshire, they will have access to services
they need to help to reach their full potential.
Back to Index Page |