Policy & Practice: Policy into practice - Supplementary andextended schools must join

The estimated 3,000 schools - sometimes called community or Saturdayschools - supplement mainstream education with out-of-hoursprovision.

Boosting academic skills as part of a culturally-sensitive programme,they improve the educational opportunities of young people in ethnicminority communities that might otherwise be left behind.

There is much that is good about supplementary schools - they oftenengage children and parents more readily than mainstream educationproviders, and can help reduce isolation by connecting families withothers from a similar linguistic and cultural background. Their roots inthe community make them well-placed to promote the development oflinguistic skills, cultural identity and religious education.

But many lack secure, sustainable funding. As a result, they often lackresources, and the quality of teaching can be variable. Publicrecognition of their contribution is low.