Study title

Schools' role in British society is changing. Rather than being viewed simply as spaces of education for children, contemporary policy developments such as the Extended Services initiative are also casting them as spaces for childcare, child enrichment, as well as parenting support. The aim of this project is to explore the attitudes of parents from different class backgrounds to these changes, changes which recast the boundary between state and family responsibility, and reshape children's current and future lives. The study builds upon previous research with headteachers, education professionals, and children in an English Local Authority. It will employ mixed methods, beginning with a questionnaire survey of parents with children attending primary schools in higher, middle and lower income areas. The results of this will inform interviews with 45 parents from different socio-economic backgrounds exploring: their family activity patterns; their views on school as a potential source of childcare; the value they place on structured activities in enriching children's lives; their opinions about schools' potential to provide parenting support. The findings will inform Extended Services policy development through partnership with local and national Government and charities, and contribute to academic debates about the changing role of schools in society.