Extended Services

• Community Sports
  • Sports
  • Facility Hire
• VOICE

Extended Services

MEA is much more than simply a place for young people to learn during school hours. It is a resource for the whole community, and many of our facilities and services are available for use by anyone living and working in the Academy’s vicinity. You are welcome to make as much use of the Academy as you want – you will find more information about the facilities on offer in this section of the website.

A guide to the core 'offer'

Summer Programme

A free holiday programme of activities and trips from 10.00am – 3.00pm each day every holiday except Christmas. 

Parenting Support & Parental Involvement

Parents/carers have the biggest, single influence on their children’s lives and are their child’s first education. We know from research that good parenting makes an enormous difference to children’s outcomes and extended services in schools can support parents/carers in this key role.

The vision is that schools will serve as a hub for services for parents/carers.

The Government wants all extended schools to offer access to:

• Information sessions for all parents/carers at key transition points in their children’s lives, particularly starting school and moving from primary to secondary school.
• Parenting groups, using structured programmes
• More specialised support for parents who might need it, parents whose children have problems with attendance of behaviour at school and who need targeted support.
• Information on the advice and support available to parents, through national help lines, websites and through the local family support service.
  

• A guide booklet for parents/carers of children starting at MEA.
• Induction Evening for parents/carers and Induction Days for year 6 pupils about to start at MEA. 
• Various projects at MEA for year 6 pupils during the year.
• Options Evening for year 9 & 11 students and their parents/carers with options brochure.
• Parenting Course ‘Parenting your Teen’.
• Support for parents from our Parent Mentor, Toni Brough.
• Support for parents/carers via CAF (Common Assessment Framework) and specialised services.
• Info on advice and support available to parents/carers through national helplines and websites (on our website and in leaflets).
• Leaflets available on a range of topics to support parents.
• Support for parents and parent voice through our Parent Council ‘Friends & Voice of MEA’.
• A prospectus is available from the Academy or you can download it in PDF format from the box to the right.

Swift and Easy Referral to 
Specialist Services

There is a range of specialist health and social care services e.g. speech therapy, behaviour support that children, young people and adults need to access at different times in their lives, which support both their general wellbeing and their ability to learn. By offering this provision on site or through local partnerships, schools can improve access to these services and create a more streamlines and supportive referral system for those who need it.

MEA provides access on-site to:

• A school Nurse who also provides sexual health advice.
• Drugs, alcohol and smoking awareness and support programmes in conjunction with Eclypse.
• CAMHS (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service).
• Diversity
• EAL Support.
• ‘Active Families’ sessions.
• ‘Healthy Eating’ Family Learning sessions.
• Behaviour Support.
• Family support through CAF.
• ‘Common Assessment’ referral system.
• ‘Parenting your Teen’ Courses.
• Discus.

Community Access

Parents/carers, other adults in the community, children and young people will benefit from the facilities within schools being made more widely available. These include ICT facilities, sports, arts and access to adult learning.

By providing ICT facilities, schools can offer a range of learning opportunities for communities, especially for those who don’t have access at home.

By enabling the local community to use the sports and arts facilities on the school site, extended schools can provide opportunities to develop skills and lead healthier lifestyles. By providing and enabling access to adult and family learning either in the school or local area, schools can identify suitable opportunities for involvement.

Schools can also provide space, support and resources for a range of services, which benefit the local community. A common arrangement is for school buildings to be let for community use.

Community services provided through extended schools should be made available to the whole community, elderly residents, families, young people and children and should extend their opening times outside normal school hours.

MEA Offers:

• Activities for young people after academy hours and on Saturday morning. 
• Activities for young people and children in the holidays.
• Student Club, offering support for homework, coursework, exam etc (3.30pm-5.00pm) Mon-Fri term-time.
• ‘Summersonic’ activities for the month of August 12.00-4.00pm.
• Adult/Family ICT courses for beginners and next stage.
• Family Learning services (5.00-7.00pm) throughout the year.
• The Academy buildings are let out for use by the community in the evenings and at weekends

• The Farsi School.
• The AICE (Academy of Indian Culture and Education).
• The ‘Ambassadors in Christ’ Church.
• The Women of Diversity.
• The ‘Over 50’s’ Choir.
• Irish Dancing weekends.
• ‘Active Families’ sessions

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