The Government is promoting and developing extended schools, schools which provide a range of services and activities, often beyond the school day, to help meet the needs of pupils, their families and the wider community. DCSF is encouraging all schools to work with local partners to develop wider 'extended' services. Such services will differ from one school to another according to local need, but might include out-of-school-hours learning activities, as well as health and social care, childcare, adult education and family learning, leisure activities, and ICT access.

Study support is an important strand of services delivered by extended schools. It can help improve pupil behaviour, attendance, motivation and self esteem.  For instance, after-school clubs and sports activities help engage pupils who might otherwise become disaffected, and encourage them to view school in a more positive light.  Study support before and after school and in holidays, embraces a wide range of voluntary learning activities that young people participate in and enjoy, such as homework clubs, creative ventures, sports, games, mentoring and opportunities for volunteering and community service.  Such activities can play an important role in helping all pupils to acquire skills and confidence and in raising their standards of achievement. Study support activities provided at secondary schools for primary age children can help ease the transition between schools.

The teachernet website includes practical guidance for LAs, schools and other organisations about developing extended services, with a number of case studies, both of individual schools developing in this way, and of some of the LA extended school pathfinders that received DfES funding in 2002-03. There is also some information about the funding announcement for extended schools made in March 2003.

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