Minister for Children visits borough’s first extended school

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Initiative provides before and after school care and activities

Minister for Children, Margaret Hodge, visited a Fulham school last week (Thursday) to see how the government’s ‘extended school’ initiative to provide before and after school care and activities is working in the borough.

Ms Hodge toured Langford Primary School, in Gilstead Road, to see after-school clubs in action and talk to parents about how they benefit from Langford becoming the borough’s first full service extended school.
Extended schools are part of a national initiative to provide a ‘wrap around’ package of services for children and young people - and help parents to improve their work-life balance or return to education, training or employment.

Developments at Langford Primary include:

· A new community nursery – Montessori Neighbourhood Nursery 2 - which opened in the grounds of Langford last term offering affordable day care and early education for up to 65 children aged six months to five. This runs from 8am to 6pm for 50 weeks of the year; £100,000 funding to set up the community nursery came from the Sure Start South programme, based at Sands End Community Centre, in Fulham. The community nursery is in addition to the school’s own nursery class, housed in the main building, which operates during term time.
· Langford Primary School runs a wide range of after-school clubs, including a ‘rock school’ music club, performing arts, art and craft, sport, science and ICT. The school also plans to reintroduce a breakfast club for pupils. Work to improve the Langford’s front boundary wall is due to take place at Easter with the help of £100,000 government funding.
· Sands End Projects in Action (SEAPIA), a community group next to the school, runs a wide range of provision for pupils at Langford Primary and other local parents including: after-school childcare and activities for children aged five to 12 at Sands End Playhouse, in Stephendale Road, during term time; parent and toddler group, which runs all year round at Sands End Playhouse, and an outdoor adventure project for under 16s which runs at the SEAPIA playground, in Marinefield Road, after school and during holidays.
· A £214,000 new sports pitch will be built in Sands End, Fulham, with the help of a £149,000 grant from the Football Foundation sports charity. The all-weather pitch, which will be used by the school and SEAPIA, will be built across the boundary of the school and SEAPIA sites, in Marinefield Road. Building work is due to start next month. The pitch will be used by children and young people aged five to 21. Langford Primary School will use the pitch for PE and some after-school sports clubs and coaching sessions. SEAPIA will use it for after-school, weekend and holiday activities.

Meanwhile, Montessori Neighbourhood Nursery 2 - based at Langford Primary - is joining forces with Sure Start South - which runs a range of services for families with young children at Sands End Community Centre, in Fulham - to form one of the borough’s new children’s centres. Children’s centres are the government’s one-stop-shops for children aged under five and their families and three Hammersmith & Fulham centres have now been given approval. They will offer early education, childcare, family support and information on employment and health services.

Margaret Hodge, Minister for Children, Young People and Families, said: “Extended schools are a very exciting and innovative part of our childcare strategy and all schools will become extended schools over time. They can provide a whole range of activities including sports clubs, extra lessons and support for children with special educational needs, adult learning to help parents who want to retrain to go back to work, affordable high quality early years childcare and lots more. The range of activities and services offered by Langford Primary School is remarkable and a real credit to the staff, parents and children.”

Anne-Louise De Buriane, headteacher of Langford Primary School, said: “We are working with other local organisations to provide an exciting range of activities for local children and young people and further strengthen our links with the community, which are developing as part of our establishment as a full service extended school. The minister was able to see our facilities and find out how parents are benefiting from the outstanding range of childcare and after-school activities on offer here.”

Cllr David Williams, deputy for education, said: “We are really excited about the contribution Langford Primary School and SEAPIA are making towards the development of activities and services for children and families in south Fulham, which also include the relaunch of Sands End Community Centre with Sure Start South’s early years and family support services, Sands End Library, sports and fitness and adult education all under one roof.
The new children’s centre, comprising the community nursery at Langford and Sure Start South, will further develop these excellent services, which are helping local parents to get back into education, training or work. It is the determination of the school, SEAPIA and the children’s centre to work with the council to significantly improve education, health and social care for local families.”

February 13, 2005