Wraparound care 'will cost'

Speaking at 'Every Childhood Matters', a 4Children conference held in London last week, education secretary Charles Clarke outlined plans for all schools to offer wraparound childcare from 8am to 6pm for 48 weeks of the year.

He said, 'We need to create a universal, one-stop service for parents, and schools will be at the heart of this.'

4Children estimates that 10bn a year for ten years would be needed to ensure that the extended schools initiative is sustainable across primary and secondary schools in England.

A 4Children survey published last week reveals that half of all primary schools want to become extended schools in the next two years. But their key concerns include finding suitable premises, staffing issues and how they will pay for it all.

Mr Clarke acknowledged that funding was an issue. He said, 'We will be providing practical help, training and capital funding as well as some revenue support to help roll out the strategy across the country.'

But 4Children chief executive Anne Longfield said, 'The Government has recognised the importance of investment in early years through its billion- pound programme to develop Children's Centres. It now needs to recognise the importance of sustaining that investment in children as they move through school.'

Ms Longfield said that the Government's ten-year plan for childcare 'must include significant investment in childcare for school-age children in and around school'. She added, 'Without this, the identified barriers of lack of premises, staffing and ongoing funds will remain insurmountable and a major opportunity to provide childcare for all will be lost.'

David Hart, general secretary of the National Association of Headteachers, said that extended schools will 'eventually become the norm', but it 'cannot and must not be seen as cheap option'.

Concerns that teachers are in school 'to teach, not childmind' have also been expressed by NASUWT. Acting general secretary Chris Keates said it was essential that the responsibilities of headteachers be clarified.

But Frank Gulley, head of Temple Sutton Primary School in Southend-on-Sea - one of the 184 schools to receive extra Government funding to become a fully extended school - said that the workload had not increased.

'The after-school and breakfast clubs are entirely different entities.

Anything that the staff want to get involved in after school hours is voluntary,' he said. He added that providing additional services can be a 'good source of income for the school'.

The Government said that it will be publishing a more detailed 'route map on wrap-around childcare' this autumn.