“Across England there are exciting and innovative examples of schools providing out of hours activities – now we need schools to show off their hard work and make sure that all parents and pupils are aware of the opportunities open to them.  I applaud schools and their partners for their efforts so far to change the way they work to create a new universal offer of extended services for children and families across the country and remain committed to ensuring that all families have access to extended services by 2010.

Extended services in schools are part of the Government’s vision of the 21st Century School, transforming education by forging strong links with parents and the wider community and put children at the centre of learning

But the research published today recognises that there is still a way to go before extended services are available everywhere, and that it is too early yet to see a widespread impact on attainment at the national level. It also highlights that schools need to do more to ensure that extended services meet the needs of children and families and that they are sustainable. The research will help to guide them in achieving this objective.

There is a huge level of support: more than two thirds of schools now offer access to the core offer of extended services, and many more schools are in the process of doing so. Schools and other agencies demonstrate on a daily basis how extended services can transform the lives of children, families and communities locally."