Margaret Hodge, minister for children, said the extended schools and children's centres would 'help families access what they need, where and when they need it'. She added, 'They will act as one-stop places, providing services organised around the needs of children and families.'
Ms Hodge confirmed that one school in every local education authority in England will receive extended schools funding by 2006.
'After-school activities and clubs at extended schools are great for children and young people and help to make better use of school buildings which would otherwise be empty,' said Ms Hodge.
'Getting parents and grandparents into schools either to learn themselves or help their children to learn helps us to make the school the real focus of the community.'
The Sure Start children's centres, which are initially being sited in the 20 per cent most disadvantaged wards in England, will provide integrated early education, childcare, health services, family support and help into employment.
But Rosemary Murphy, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), called for local authorities and, in particular, the new children's directors, to 'take an inclusive approach' to working in partnership with existing private and voluntary sector childcare providers in order 'to make these joined-up services sustainable and help them achieve their full potential'. She added, 'No-one wants to see a two-tier system develop, with a risk that integrated services could be stigmatised.'
The NDNA is working with the Sure Start Unit to develop a programme to bring the children's centre concept to the mainstream via existing daycare providers.
One of the new extended schools is Wychall Primary in Birmingham, which is planning to offer childcare facilities 50 weeks a year. It has a childcare co-ordinator who runs a successful after-school club and who will ensure that the same standards are applied to the provision of full daycare during the Easter and summer holidays and half-terms.
Headteacher Therese Allen said she believed her pupils were doing well in a deprived area, with more than 77 per cent of children getting free school meals. 'We could do even better if we could get families into school participating in lifelong learning,' she said. 'We need our parents as confident partners, because many of them have the same self-esteem issues as their children.'
