In an effort to end the culture of “latchkey kids” returning to empty homes while their parents work, Ruth Kelly, the Education Secretary, yesterday made an extra £680 million available to allow schools to open from 8am to 6pm during term time and holidays.

At Millfields community school in Hackney, East London, pupils have been able to take extra-curricular activities such as music, drama and keep-fit for the past nine years.

Announcing the scheme at their breakfast club yesterday, Ms Kelly said that the proposals were “common sense” and would give parents “a great deal of peace of mind”.

“It’s what works for families and what works for children,” she said. “If a mother works for two days a week, she wants to know her child will be safe while she is at work.”

The 600-pupil school runs adult learning programmes and is also a resource base for children with autism. The breakfast club is 50p and children can come in from 7am. Anna Hassan, the head teacher, estimates that about 80 per cent of pupils have access to activities. She said: “It’s about meeting the needs of the community and the needs of the parents and children. Parents are very supportive, they want what is best for their children and don’t take advantage.”

Under the “extended schools” programme, all 21,000 primary and secondary schools will offer voluntary breakfast clubs and after-school activities “at or through their school at 8am to 6pm, all year round” for under-14s.

By 2010, all parents of primary age children should be able to access affordable childcare and all 3 and 4-year-olds “will receive 15 hours of free integrated early learning and care for 38 weeks of the year”.

The school clubs will be provided by local authorities and supervised by volunteers or private companies, but teachers will not be obliged to take part.

About 4,500, or a quarter, of primary schools already offer childcare facilities and most secondary schools offer extra-curricular clubs, at a fee. The £680 million is expected to give each primary school about £30,000 and each secondary £50,000 to start up the scheme over two years. An estimated 1,700 primary schools already offer the service all year, but virtually no secondary schools do.

Teachers broadly welcomed the extended provision, but John Dunford, the generalsecretary of the Secondary Heads Association, said that to be effective it would cost “many millions” and risked making more work for head teachers. He said: “This initiative, more than any other, carries enormous risks of increasing workload for school leaders and drawing them away from their core responsibility of teaching and learning.”

4Children is a charity that campaigns for children’s out-of-school activities and has set up about 1,000 “make space” teenage clubs. Anne Longfield, the chief executive, said that most parents would not use the service every day, partly because at an estimated £50 per week many would not be able to afford it.

“If it is to be the next frontier in the welfare state, then it does have to be funded,” she said.

MAIN POINTS

• All schools to offer childcare and out-of-hours activities for under-14s from 2010
• Activities to include breakfast clubs, sport, languages and first aid
• Involves voluntary workers or private companies
• Parenting support and adult learning courses also to be offered

  www.timesonline.co.uk/education
  School and exam league tables

Explore Education

• Sunday Times University Guide

• Good University Guide

• Schools

• Student

• GCSE & A Level Results

• Young Times

Times recommends

• Private schools face 'public benefit' test
• New teaching style gives pupils wake-up call
• Independent schools fail special needs pupils