The Concept and Context of Extended Schools

Introduction

For those with the view that there is nothing new in education or indeed in politics, the notion of schools being integral to their communities seems ironic. State schools in England and Wales, for example, were specifically designed in the nineteenth century to meet the basic needs of local communities, and only the wealthy or aspiring sent their sons away to private schools for a ‘proper’ (i.e. academic) education. Apart from some Boards of Governors, the actual people of the communities were not involved in school, except for ensuring their children attended school and were later supported in terms of homework, school functions and fund-raising. In researching for this book, and talking ...