Department for Education
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Children who attend extended schools get better GCSE results
Extended schools lead to better exam results and children being more focused in school, particularly for disadvantaged children, a new Government report issued today shows.
This adds to the Department for Education analysis which found progress in extended schools was around double the rate of the national average between 2005 and 2006.
At Key Stage Four, the percentage of pupils in extended schools achieving 5+A*-C at GCSE increased by just over 5 per cent, compared to a 2.5 per cent increase in the national average over the same period.
Children's Minister Beverley Hughes said:
"This report shows the excellent benefits of extended school services for children, their families and communities. I am particularly pleased to see the positive improvements in Key Stage 3 and GCSE results for pupils facing disadvantage, on free school meals and with special educational needs.
"By 2010 all schools will provide access to a core offer of extended services and we can see already the advantages this will have for all children, not only by allowing them to take part in different activities but also in helping them do better in exams."
The Universities of Manchester and Newcastle study found that full service extended schools (FSES) had a positive impact on the attainment of pupils and on engagement with learning, family stability and enhanced life chances and generated positive outcomes for families and local people.
The report also found:
* in FSES the gap in performance between pupils eligible for free school meals and those not eligible was reduced (and in some analyses it was eliminated) once the differences between the groups were taken into account;
* in FSES at Key Stage 3 the gap in achievement between pupils eligible for free school meals and those not eligible disappears entirely once other variables were taken into account;
* At Key Stage 4, pupils eligible for free school meals slightly outperformed non-free school meals pupils; and
* At Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 there was a narrower gap between special educational needs (SEN) and non-SEN children in FSES than that seen in others schools.
Professor Alan Dyson, from the University of Manchester, said:
"Our evaluation shows that it is possible for schools and their partners to make a real difference to the life chances of disadvantaged children and adults. For the schools we studied, extended provision was not a distraction from the standards agenda, but a way of ensuring the best possible outcomes for all learners.
"Where these schools were successful, the key was that they made a major commitment to extended provision and saw it as part of the core business of the school. In return, the schools themselves often improved their standing in their areas. Currently, all schools are being expected to become 'extended'. Not all of them will be able to make this level of commitment, but the signs are that well thought out extended provision has lots to offer children, families, communities - and schools themselves."
Positive effects were also felt in relation to the local community. For instance, there were many examples of unemployed adults beginning to see themselves as learners, acquiring qualifications, and finding work.
The schools studied were also found to have a range of other positive impacts on outcomes for pupils, including engagement with learning, family stability and enhanced life chances.
The report emphasized the need for co-ordinators to support schools in developing their extended provision.
Extended schools provide access to a range of services including: study support, 8am to 6pm wrap-around childcare in primary schools, health services, support for parents, adult learning and community activities. It is the Government's vision for all schools to offer access to a core set of extended activities by 2010. £840m has been provided to support the roll-out of extended schools over 2004 - 2008. This will continue in the next spending round. The Secretary of State recently announced an additional £217m will be invested in 2010-11 for an extended schools subsidy scheme to ensure children from the most disadvantaged families can access extended services that schools charge for outside the school day.
The cost benefit analysis suggests that the benefits of the initiative outweighed the costs and in some cases, the cost benefits were 'spectacularly successful'.
CASE STUDY
The report contains case studies of pupils who explained the positive impact on them personally.
One 15-year old explained how he didn't like school from an early age, couldn't get on with teachers, got involved in fights and was eventually excluded. He was invited to join an Alternative Curriculum programme at a community centre, as part of an extended school.
There he joined a small group, was made to feel welcome and made friends. He achieved a bronze and silver Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network (ASDAN) Award and is now working on his gold. He has learnt how to cook, manage a budget and run a lunch club for older people.
He said:
"I am also learning how to cope with people in authority better and I do outdoor education activities, which I really enjoy. I have made some good friends, learnt to trust adults and work together as a team to achieve goals. The list could go on and on in terms of what I am achieving 'cause I haven't finished yet!! My home life is much better. My relationship with my Mum has improved greatly (she is so proud of me now) and I have not been in trouble with the police in six months. If you were to ask me what's the best thing about the centre I would have to say everything is sweet as a nut!"
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The report will be available from http://www.dfes/research and is entitled Evaluation of the Full Service Extended Schools Initiative: Final Report.
2. Professor Alan Dyson is based at the School of Education, University of Manchester.
3. The FSES initiative was launched in 2003. Local FSES projects received funding from DfES, and came on stream in each of three successive years.
4. Most FSES served areas of disadvantage and in the first year were located in Behaviour Improvement Programme areas.
5. By the end of the initiative, 138 schools were involved, with a further 10 funded through the London Challenge.
6. This evaluation took place over the three years for which the initiative was funded and aimed to identify: the activities undertaken by participating schools; the processes underpinning these activities; the impacts and outcomes of activities.
7. The FSES initiative has informed the development of the national extended schools programme. Nearly 5,000 schools are already providing access to the core offer of extended services with all schools planned to be doing so by 2010.
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