13.9 There is a strong tradition of schools being used as the focus for wider community education services reaching back to the 1920s when Henry Morris introduced Village Colleges in Cambridgeshire. Many local education authorities built community wings onto school buildings, to enable adult education services to offer core programmes throughout the day, and to take over responsibility for school premises in the evenings and at weekends. The effect of the 1986 Education Act was to transfer these assets to schools, and to afford the school the right to decide on out of school use, except where a LEA direction opened sites for education for the wider community.

13.10 We recommend that governing bodies and Heads of all schools consider how their own school can contribute to the fostering of a culture of lifelong learning for all amongst their own pupils, parents and the local community. This should include making the best use of their building facilities and learning resources and setting their own local targets. Consideration should be given to including these responsibilities amongst those of school governors and to embracing the promotion of lifelong learning within the inspection framework for schools.

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