Thanet 1 - Extended Services
Contact:-
Elizabeth Dean - Extended Schools Development Manager - Tel: 01227 284560 - Elizabeth Dean
Phil Pittock - Extended Schools Development Manager - Tel: 01227 284478 - Phil Pittock
Extended Schools Development
Mini Extended Schools groupings
Following the success of the Quartet group of Extended Schools in Margate, Extended Schools Development Managers have been in discussion with all Thanet schools to agree mini Extended Schools groupings across the Thanet LCSPs. Thanet ESDMs have drawn up plans to allocate Standards Fund for Sustainability 2008/11 to these mini groupings. These plans include the appointment of an Extended Schools Co-Ordinator (ESCO) to each grouping.
The mini groupings will include local Children’s Centres and special schools and will be expected to make links with local services and voluntary organisations. This is a very exciting development that should enable Extended Schools to meet the needs of families and their children from 0 to 18 years.
Parent Support Advisors
Our LCSP PSAs have been in post for over a year now. They have been working with individual schools, such as St Mildred’s Infants and Minster Primary School and helping to support parents in a variety of ways. This has included running workshops around healthy eating, as well as one to one work with some families. As the LCSPs develop, our PSAs are looking to focus their support on early years settings and on support for parents of children with special needs, in order to compliment the work of schools’ existing FLOs. In addition, they will be key to the development of the Thanet Parents’ Forum (see below).
If you are interested in accessing PSA support for your school’s parents, please contact Elizabeth Dean in the first instance.
Extended Schools 'Core Offer' - how are we doing?
On-line monitoring tool
Thank you to all schools that have checked their profile on the Kent Trust Web on-line monitoring tool for Extended Schools. Along with all other Local Authorities, Kent has to report the numbers of schools offering access to the extended schools ‘Core Offer’ to the Training & Development Agency on a regular basis. This monitoring tool enables us to present an accurate picture of the current position for Kent. It also gives local ESDMs an overview of the position for each LCSP. The monitoring tool allows for reports to be commissioned for each school as well as each LCSP.
Could we encourage you to check your school’s profile on the on-line monitoring tool if you have not yet done so. It is quite quick and easy to use and does help schools identify gaps in their extended schools provision.
Access to the site is through http://www.kenttrustweb.org.uk
Click on Services to a wider community
Click on Extended Schools
Click on Extended Schools Monitoring Tool
Click on Schools Log in
If you have any questions about accessing the tool or your school’s profile, please contact Elizabeth Dean or Phil Pittock (01227 284560/01227 284478)
The Quartet achieves the Quality Mark for Extended Schools (QES)
The Quartet group of schools recently achieved the QES mark at emerged level. The Quartet’s Extended School Co-ordinator prepared a folder of evidence to put before a panel of scrutineers. The folder focused on the Quartet schools' work around study support and parenting support. The recognition meeting also required the ESCO and a representative from one of the schools to give a presentation. The panel was very impressed by the breadth of the Quartet’s work and in particular the richness of its partnership work with local organisations and services. The Quartet, in line with the new mini Extended Schools grouping plans, will be extending slightly to encompass another primary school and the Garlinge and central Margate Children’s Centres. In addition, Nicola Wood, the Quartet’s ESCO will be supporting the newly appointed ESCOs as they develop plans for their own mini groups.
Thanet ESDMs would like to hear from any school interested in working towards the Quality in Extended Schools mark. ESDMs act as a school’s critical friend, supporting them through the process and helping them put together their folder of evidence.
Supporting/Engaging parents - examples of good practice
This information was taken from Audit Visits 2007 - to inform cluster planning - hope you find this information helpful.
Funding Opportunities
Capital funding for primary schools 2008
The purpose of this money is to provide pump priming capital funding to develop extended schools across an area.
Thanet schools were allocated a total of £104,300 this year. All primary schools in the district were invited to submit bids to their Extended Schools Development Manager. Fifteen primary schools have been awarded this funding for projects which include conducting feasibility studies, refurbishing existing rooms to provide community facilities and equipping a school with cooking facilities to benefit its After School Club.
There is no guarantee that this funding stream will be available again next year, but if you have a project that may fit the criteria, please contact your ESDM to discuss it further.
Events, Training and Conferences
Workshop for Headteachers
The Extended Schools team, along with Childcare Development Officers and the ASK team, are running a workshop on the 12th September around the New Ofsted Framework and its implications and monitoring responsibilities for Extended Schools. The half day workshop will cover schools’ legal responsibilities and provide guidance around the extended services questions on a school’s SEF. There will also be a practical session focusing on schools providing access to childcare, led by the LCSP Childcare Development Officers.
For more details or to book a place, please contact Kerry Miles at the Training & Development Team.
Thanet Parents’ Forum and Parents’ Week
The Thanet Parents’ Forum will be re-launched this autumn as 'Thanet Parents' Voice'. The purpose of the Forum is to enable the LCSPs to fully engage with parents at a strategic level. ESDMS in East Kent will be appointing a Parent Support Advisor with responsibility for developing LCSP Parents’ Fora across East Kent.
In Thanet there will be a steering group set up to plan and develop the Thanet Parents’ Forum. Ideas currently being considered include commissioning a text service and having an on-line facility for consulting with parents as well as for enabling parents to share ideas and support each other.
Advance notice of Parents’ Week October 20th to 26th 2008.
Marisa White as Kent’s Parenting Commissioner, has recently finalised the Kent Children’s Trust Strategy for Supporting Parents. There is also a parents’ version of the strategy and a parents’ charter. It is planned that this parents’ version and the charter will be launched during Parents’ Week.
There will be £1,500 per LCSP for this launch. It is planned that this will be used to re-launch the Parents’ Forum, and to fund celebration events across existing parents' groups in Thanet.
For more information about the development of the Thanet Parents’ Forum, or the Parents' Week celebration event, please contact Elizabeth Dean.
Thanet Partnership Council Newsletters
Extended Schools (Rural) Newsletter Dec 09
Miscellaneous
Breakfast Club Plus
Breakfast Club Plus has been launched by ContinYou as a support service for new and existing breakfast clubs. Members will receive training, newsletters, funding updates, and access to a website resource. They will also be able to search other clubs' information to identify examples of best practice and find solutions to common challenges they may be facing. For more information on becoming a member, call Jenna Hall on 020 8709 9900 or email jenna.hall@continyou.org.uk
Recycling Scheme
Earn free sports and educational equipment, computers, audiovisual equipment, books and toys by collecting empty laser and inkjet cartridges and old mobile phones for recycling. Primary and secondary schools can register free online and receive a welcome pack with free resources to help promote the scheme. Collection boxes are provided and picked up free of charge by a courier. Schools that have more than 100m points can now request a cash payment in exchange for points at a rate of 10p. For more details see:
http://www.recycool.org
Transition Information Sessions (TIS) formally run as Parent Information Point
TIS is part of the wider DfES programme for developing parenting support through extended schools.
They are single, one off sessions for parents of children settling into primary school or moving onto secondary school and usually take place in the school itself or in a community venue.
Transition Information Sessions also feature as part of the government’s offer under Every Parent Matters.
The DfES wants all schools to be running these sessions as part of their parental support core offer by 2008. To this end, a bank of materials as well as a toolkit are being developed to help schools deliver TIS.
If you are interested in running a TIS at your school please contact your ESDM.
Information taken from Audit Visits in 2007 - (to inform cluster planning) See document below:-
Supporting/Engaging Parents - Examples of Good Practice
Useful documents and links
Continyou - the agency that is managing the DfES' Extended Schools programme
www.continyou.org.uk
Teachernet: Extended Schools
http://www.teacher.gov.uk/wholeschool/extendedschools