Welcome to the website for Extended Services

In this section you will find information on the following:

The Core Offer
The Partnership
What Is Extended Services?

The Core Offer

High quality wrap around childcare from 8am – 6pm year round
Study Support and a varied menu of activities out of school hours
Parenting Support and Family Learning
Swift and Easy Access to specialist support services
Wider community access to ICT, Sports, Arts and Adult Learning

The Partnership

The Ponteland Partnership for Extended Services is a group of 9 schools in the area who have linked up to help implement the Extended Services programme. These schools are Ponteland High, Ponteland First, Ponteland Middle, Darras Hall First, Whalton Church of England First, Belsay First, Richard Coates Middle, Heddon St Andrews Church of England First, and Stamfordham First.

What is Extended Services?

Extended Services is a transformational agenda that seeks to ensure that by 2010, every child has access to services based in and around school between 8 am and 5:30 pm, all year round, depending on community need. The idea is to join up existing support services such as Children's Centres and community groups to provide a more cohesive and community orientated system of care based around the school.

"Children are in school only 20% of their time. We need to unleash the potential in the other 80%" – Robin Casson, Director of Schools and Family Support.

However, children and young people are not the sole focus of extended services. We are also concerned with maximising the use of resources such as school sports and ICT facilities and making sure that, whilst we do not duplicate existing provision, the needs of the community, with regards activities and access to resources, are met.