The government wants children to go to school for up to ten hours a day in England and Wales in order to combine education with childcare and enable parents to better manage their working lives.

Education secretary Charles Clarke will this week set out his vision of introducing a "wraparound" care service, where parents can leave their children from dawn to dusk without having to find childminders.

Schools would therefore be open to offer "educare" services from 8.00am to 6.00pm.