SCHOOLS in Darlington are being encouraged to provide more services for the wider community after education chiefs secured a Government grant.

Darlington Borough Council has received £219,000 to help schools and other groups in the community work together to provide a wide range of services.

The extended schools programme aims to raise standards and behaviour in schools, and also work towards improving adult education.

It will look at improving the general health of the population by making school sports centres available to all, and increasing drug and alcohol education.

Crime reduction will also be a focus, with projects such as junior Neighbourhood Watch schemes and after-school activities for young people.

In Darlington, there are five groups of schools, called clusters, that will be working together to share services and ideas.

The town's Roman Catholic schools will be involved in the clusters, but will also form their own group to focus on issues that specifically affect them.

The cluster groups will draw up a plan of how they intend to work together and submit it to the council for a decision on how much of the funding they will receive.

There will be additional funding in coming years to help put the plans into action and support new services.

Chris McEwan, the council's cabinet member for children's services, said: "This is the start of a very long journey which will see schools working together for the good of everyone in the community.

"This money from the Government will help start this very exciting project."

As part of the extended schools programme, Hummersknott School and Language College and Skerne Park Primary are already started working together.

The schools have set up a joint homework club at Skerne Park and various activities are planned for the summer holidays for children from both schools

There is a weekly nurse drop-in session at Skerne Park and family and adult learning sessions will begin in Hummersknott in September.