ABSTRACT
The extended school is not a new concept. Schools have been providing additional services and extra-curricular activities for many years. The forerunner of the extended school was the community school, dating back to the 1920s, when village colleges were introduced in Cambridgeshire. These enabled rural communities to provide a range of additional services for children and adults. Community schools began to develop throughout the country, largely in areas of social deprivation, during the 1970s and 1980s. The study support (out-of-school-hours learning (OSHL)) programme was another significant precursor of the extended school initiative. This was first developed in 1997 by the DfEE and The Prince’s Trust. Schools in Education Action Zones (EAZ) and those serving disadvantaged communities were targeted for the programme. This was a good example of school partnerships working with other local providers and charitable organisations, such as Education Extra (now ContinYou), Business in the Community, Kids Club Network (now 4Children), to provide a wide range of activities. These included: breakfast clubs, homework and study support clubs, sports, music and other creative arts, interest clubs in ICT and languages, learning about learning (study and thinking skills). Learner-centred study support was a voluntary activity undertaken by children and young people, aimed at raising motivation, self-esteem, achievement, attitudes and attendance.
