How well are they doing? The latest Ofsted report on the impact of services provided by Sure Start Children's Centres and extended schools issued in January 2008. 'Schools and Children's Centres served children and families very effectively, once they were there' Overall the report showed that the children's centres inspected were providing a good or better service. This is really good news for everyone currently working in Children's Centres delivering the services required and in establishing of high quality childcare provision within areas of disadvantage. Setting up new provisions in communities in need is often a fraught process and relies on a vision dedicated to improving the lives of young children and their families. This backed up with good leadership,management and team work can deliver stunning successes. In the Executive summary of the report it values and praises the way that children who have been at a children centre, start school with a positive attitude. “ Schools reported that children joining them from Children's Centres had positive attitudes, and were well prepared for, and enjoyed learning”. For educators in Early Years this has always been a starting point for any child and a key determinant in playing an active part in their own learning. Although the report generally praises the establishment of Children's Centres by Local Authorities the continued support needed is not always there and varies widely across the country. As long term funding is never guaranteed there are a number of issues which concern leaders about sustainability. The key findings and recommendations are listed below and are taken directly from the Ofsted report:- Key findings Children’s centres were fulfilling their remit to provide at least the minimum requirements of their core offer. The majority of schools offered a range of out of school activities which motivated children and young people to develop new skills and interests. Most established extended schools fulfilled their core offer, and most developing extended schools were making good progress towards this. Work between partners to offer a full range of services had improved since Ofsted’s previous report on extended services. Although good coordination improved the take-up of services, this was not always managed sufficiently effectively. Children moving from children’s centres to schools were generally well prepared. However, the effect of such preparation on their early learning and attainment was not evaluated. Learning in children’s centres was more effective when the leadership team included staff with a background in education. However, not all the qualified teachers supporting children’s centres had experience or training in providing for children under three. Individuals and families were served well by the children’s centres and schools that they attended. Services which had been used by the most vulnerable parents were reported to have transformed the lives of some parents and had positive effects on their children. However, settings did not do enough to reach out to particularly vulnerable individuals or families, or those living beyond the immediate neighbourhood. Since the previous report, the children’s centres and schools have become more aware of the need to evaluate the impact of their services on the outcomes for children, young people and their families, although very few had begun to measure this systematically. The quality of local authorities’ strategic leadership varied. They provided good support to establish provision, but rarely supported the monitoring and evaluation of the impact of services. The schools with the most effective services had integrated the development of extended provision within their school improvement plans, with a clear focus on improving positive outcomes for children and young people. Uncertainties about long-term funding affected planning for, and the sustainability of, many children’s centres. Recommendations The Department for Children, Schools and Families should: ...clarify long-term funding arrangements with other partners to promote the sustainability of services and staffing  ...support local authorities to embed the performance management arrangements recommended in the guidance issued in November 2006 Local authorities should:  ...support schools and children’s centres in strategic planning, and in monitoring and evaluating the impact of their services  ...ensure that training is available for managers of children’s centres to develop self-evaluation Sources: 'How well are they doing? The Impact of children's centres and extended schools'. Ofsted..January 2008. ref no 070021 Sure Start children’s centres planning and performance management guidance (978-1-84478-851-4), DfES, 2006. The Ofsted report can be downloaded here. SmithMartin are working to support the development of Children's Centres: Project development and management: Our partnership is currently engaged in the delivery of services to help create new Children Centres in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. Working on a number of sites, partners are supporting the creation of relevant business plans, working as part of the project 'build' team and delivering recruitment and partnership best practice into settings to enhance the provision of services for families, carers and communities. Our partnership also utilises the broad range of technical support and skills at its disposal to enhance this community delivery. Thirdsectorweb: Our community web arm designs, builds and securely hosts web sites for Children Centres. The creation of complex web sites in these settings is a long term process - with the emergence of new services, refreshed services and new partnerships always emerging helter-skelter in the beginning of service delivery particularly. Committed to our clients as long term partners we can offer energy and flexibility, as well as intimate knowledge of settings to ensure that content, images and dialogue with service users are appropriate, fresh and ever changing to your needs. Examples of current work in development can be seen at www.ridgewayparkchildrencentre.org.uk and www.newportchildrencentre.org.uk Dolphinbookbox: Our partnership trading styles also includes a business which supplies resources to settings. Whether a children's book collection, a tee shirt with your logo for the launch event or a full design and print service for your marketing effort...we can help communicate your setting message effectively and with best value. SmithMartin LLP - effective and resourceful one stop supply.