SCHOOLS in Malton are in for a cash investment to help them work as a 'cluster' to provide more facilities for children - and there's a chance Pickering could get the same.

Norton College, Malton Secondary School, Norton Community Primary School and St Mary's RC School in Malton have received £30,000 to organise their cluster, a recent meeting of North Yorkshire County Council's Ryedale area committee heard.

Sue Smith, extended schools officer for the council, told members that the Extended Schools Strategy for North Yorkshire was an important part of the Government's desire to promote children's well-being, raise standards and aspirations and increase inclusion. It received £685,000 in 2003-4, and £742,000 in 2004-5, with the same amount expected for the next financial year.

"We've appointed four new members of staff to consult with schools to supply the funding for this Government initiative, and identify deprived areas of the county," she said.

"That's quite different to previous definitions of areas of deprivation. People often think it is all going to Scarborough or Selby - well, it's not, at least not all of it."

She said the needs of rural schools had been recognised, and areas of Malton and Norton were recognised as deprived.

County Coun Betsy Hill said: "It is great that rural areas have become eligible to get this and we need to begin insisting that schools do more for children. I would like to see more school clusters, which is what we need, whether village schools have after-school clubs attached to them or they are developed in the hub of our market towns. But I think there is a lot of work to do."

The initial £30,000 will help the schools organise the cluster, which could provide a whole range of out-of-hours activities, including study support, sports activities and out-of-school clubs.

"Its aim is to improve standards in the area and to help school work, and sometimes that will be coupled with issues around healthy eating - for example, breakfast clubs," said Bernadette Jones, head of policy and development for North Yorkshire County Council's education department. "There will be all sorts of clusters around the area and any school can apply to join them."

In the Pickering area, Lady Lumley's School, Pickering Infants' School, Pickering Junior School, St Joseph's RC Primary School, Rosedale Abbey Primary School, Sinnington Primary School, Thornton-le-Dale Primary School, the primary care trust and the youth service are looking to form a large cluster.

Updated: 10:42 Wednesday, March 16, 2005