Over the past few years, schools have been extending the services they offer. Together with the local authority, private and voluntary sectors, they are working to support children and young people in Bath and North East Somerset to "achieve more than they thought possible". This achievement is about education, health, personal safety, making a positive contribution to the local community and learning life skills.
What's On Offer?
What's on offer aims to meet local priorities, both within school and the local community. If services can't be offered on the school site, they can usually be signposted nearby, either in the local community or within the wider cluster of local schools. Families can expect to find:
- Quality childcare - affordable Ofsted-registered childcare, from 8am-6pm, 48 weeks a year for a primary school. Childcare might be available on the school site or signposted to providers in the local community, and could include breakfast and after-school clubs, holiday clubs and childminders.
- Out of school activities - this might include sport, music tuition, dance and drama, arts and crafts, homework clubs and study support, computers and cooking. These activities are designed to add to and support children and young people's learning. There may be a cost for some of these services.
- Parenting support - which might include information sessions for parents when children move on to primary or secondary schools, access to information via websites and newsletters, signposting to parenting programmes and to family learning sessions, all of which can support families to be more involved with their children's learning.
- Swift and easy referral to a wide range of services – so problems are identified and supported as early as possible, through the school's links with a range of services, including speech and language therapy, psychologists, social care, youth workers, health care and careers advice.
- Facilities for community use – families can expect schools to work in partnership with the local community to open up their facilities where appropriate. This might include use of the sports, media and library facilities, or adult classes.