Welcome To Wirral

Extended schools, working in partnership with neighbouring schools and other agencies will play a significant role in the delivery of the Every Child Matters agenda. This will be through the provision of out of school hours learning for families, childcare for those who need it, and a range of learning opportunities which will raise achievement for all. Research has made it clear that while a good school can improve life chances, the impact of other factors, particularly the family and the neighbourhood, have a far greater impact. Better communication and understanding, as well as productive joint working between schools, agencies, the voluntary sector and the community, must inevitably make life better for young people and their families.

The Children and Young People’s Department’s strategic role is to support and develop the interweaving of both schools and other publicly funded services, the community and the voluntary sector, in order to support families. At the same time, we will be working with other departments within the local authority to co-ordinate the wide ranging demands of economic regeneration and sustainability which support the developments of neighbourhoods and communities.

Central to Wirral’s strategy is the role of the cluster of schools, which will, working together, both within and across clusters and with other partners and agencies, provide a central plank of children’s services. One of our proven major strengths is our ability to form ‘powerful partnerships’ for maximum benefit to all Wirral’s children and young people. Staff at all levels within our schools have benefited for many years from a range of networks, which provide personal and professional support, the sharing of ideas, and concerns, and enable the wide spread of dissemination of good practice.

From this strong base, we will build on existing links with the community, voluntary and faith sectors, and form new and vibrant partnerships around our extended schools. We will further develop families’ confidence in themselves as co-eduactors, mutually respecting our different roles.

In Wirral, we will continue to use the term ‘Extended Schools’ rather than the ‘Extended Services’ used elsewhere. This is because we believe the school to be at the heart of its community, as children and young people are the focus of a community’s hopes and aspirations.

For information about extended schools in Wirral, contact the Extended Schools Remodelling Adviser in the Children and Young People’s Department, Hamilton Building, Conway Street, Birkenhead, Wirral, CH41 4FD.

Telephone: 0151 606 2000
email: children@wirral.gov.uk