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First Year Report

The core offer Extended schools are required to make is five fold:

A varied menu of activities
Parenting support and family learning
Swift and easy referral to specialist services
High quality wraparound childcare
Wider community access

Extended schools are designed to raise the achievement and aspiration of the students in a number of ways. By stretching and enhancing current provision, by enabling support to be easily found where there is a need but also by raising the achievement and aspiration of the community the child comes from. All schools know that success is found where there is a partnership of the child, parent and staff, the value placed on education at home has a far reaching influence.

To determine what we as a consortium should offer amongst the core offer, a questionnaire was sent out to all consortium parents, a detailed audit of local provision was assembled, local plans have been checked and school councils have been visited and consulted. This research has led to extensive partnership working and a programme of activity being implemented this year in all the consortium schools.

Membership of Committees

Wider Community Team
Stevenage Play Action Network
Early Years Development
Creative Partnerships

The core offer in operation

The following is an overview of the work carried out in the consortium in the pilot year by the extended school coordinator and is not designed to be a complete picture of extended work currently operating in the consortium.

A varied menu of activities

A Consortium Basketball coach employed in partnership with the Sports Partnership provides quality sports provision to all consortium schools. This has been expanded to provide both basketball and athletics coaching for a further year with a view to further sustaining this through our links with the sports partnership.

In partnership with Stevenage Borough Council a bid has been made for Big Lottery funding to provide play workers for consortium schools to encourage healthy lifestyles.

A professional dance teacher is providing dance tuition in four consortium schools

Child UK have provided a healthy living series of workshops in all consortium schools

Three Primary schools in the consortium have received skipping workshop days, with mid day supervisors being trained to continue work

In partnership with Setpoint and Dixons the whole of year 10 at Barnwell School had a two day workshop to enhance entrepreneurial skills.

A number of after school clubs have received enhancement funding, in the consortium, such as art club, crest award & drama club etc

Each school has received £500 for new library books for reading groups and book clubs

A week of activity with the Art & Design department at the University of Hertfordshire, took place in July with whole year groups from each school taking part. The success of these has encouraged the University to look at repeating this next year.

Stevenage Library worked with a number of schools, workshops included drama, historical role play & creative play.

Extended school funding has been used to enable New Convent Garden Opera House to work with junior schools on the expressive arts days at Barnwell School.

Parenting Support & Family Learning

A number of successful parenting groups have run in partnership with Parentline UK, Heathcote school hosted ‘Getting on with your teenager’, Peartree Infants have hosted ‘After School blues’ & ‘Understanding your child’s behaviour’.

Working with the Parenting Coordinator at County a parenting structure for the area has been created, to ensure a coordinated approach for parenting is adopted and a number of courses are in place for next year.

Four schools in the consortium had a family learning taster in numeracy funded by County and facilitated by the Head of maths at Barnwell School to aid transition..

The consortium has purchased a samba kit to have as a consortium resource; this is designed for use by students and for family music sessions.

Swift and Easy Referral

In partnership with Relate as a consortium we are offering Parent time and Talk time to all consortium children and parents.

A Leisure Lunch for Barnwell School & Heathcote students hosted by PCT for students with weight/self esteem issues took place for the summer term.

Staff at Shephallbury Meadow Federation have received training in ELEFANTS an emotional Literacy course

Childcare

Funded a lunch for child minders in the consortium to work on a more accessible route for parents to access this service

A bid has been entered for Renays Rascals at Featherstone Wood to increase their numbers to cater for Peartree students

All established childcare provision in consortium schools have received funding to enhance provision

Providing links with the Holiday club and services to enhance provision such as sport & museum

Wider community access

Working in partnership with NHC & WEA a number of courses have run such as

Digital Camera, Frightened of computers, First Aid, e-bay and in Adult Learners week a series of 6 tasters which can lead to courses if sufficient interest. To enable a more structured approach to be made next year meetings have taken place with partners and a programme will shortly be available for the year.

A room is currently being refurbished on the old Collenswood School site (now known as east campus Barnwell school) to become a local community room. Local groups such as Young Mums have made enquiries to use this space and information will be available for the community to access. There will also be computers for community use and alongside the social aspects there will be signposting to various services and courses etc.

Working in partnership with Ottakar’s & BBC RAW the consortium is launching an adult reading group next term and has a children’s book club established at Barnwell School.

The Future

The links made in the first year will be further strengthened this year, all work carried out has been with a view to sustainability and partnerships are an important part of this. Partnership with the Sports Partnership has enabled us to carry through with basketball and athletics coaching for a further year in all schools. The funding of activities through the University has encouraged them to look at carrying on a programme with schools in the consortium next year. Staff attending the workshops were encouraged to take away and use ideas they saw and have established links to help them do this. Relate is carrying on counselling until Christmas and is looking at funding for further work.

By working closely with the Parenting Coordinator we have been able to secure a number of funded courses for next year, and are a part of the structure of parenting in the county. The partnership with Stevenage Borough council has allowed us to put together a bid which will fund play workers for three years in consortium schools. Links made through Community Education officer have provided funding for financial literacy workshops in the forthcoming year. The provision of a community room will be a lasting point of contact with the community and parents and provide professionals with an accessible way to reach the community through signposting and personal contact.

However alongside this a large part of the future will be funding bids to further increase the reach of extended schools. This will be carried out in consultation with the community to ensure we continue to offer quality, sustainable provision that is relevant to our local community both in and outside of our schools.

Barnwell School