Issue - meetings

Jayne Bullock, Extended Schools Co-ordinator, and Andy Packer, Head Teacher of John of Gaunt School, will give a presentation on the work of the extended schools service.

Andy Packer, Head Teacher of John of Gaunt School, gave a presentation on the role of the Extended Schools Service.  He made the following points:

·         the service was introduced in 2005

·         the inclusion of children and young people was key to the transformation of Trowbridge

·         the service included families and the wider community

·         the steering committee met weekly and had a broad membership

·         it had successfully employed parent support advisors – 135 families had been supported in the last year

·         offered a ‘free time subsidy’ that allowed poorer families to participate in activities that they may not ordinarily be able to access

·         72% were participants in after school activities

·         a parents’ network supported parents to support their children

·         multi-agency drop-in clinics were run through the extended services community hub

·         it was recognized that collaborative working enabled the service to continue in times of reduced funding and linked the agendas of hard to reach groups

·         building relationships with a ‘can-do’ approach was key to its success

·         improvements in young people’s confidence through their engagement with the programme had been noted.

The Chairman thanked Mr Packer for his presentation.