Actiob to ‘save our nursery schools’ must intensify
Newspapers and websites across the UK have been reporting on the imminent threat to our nation's maintained nursery schools for the last few months:
Day Nurseries UK 20/01/17: 'Capacity crisis': 30-hour free childcare scheme faces shortage of places
The Guardian - 24/01/17: One in 10 nursery schools in England face closure within months
Nursery World - 25/01/17: One in ten nursery schools facing closure, hears APPG
According to a survey carried out by Pen Green Research Centre on behalf of the APPG on Nursery Schools and Nursery Classes, 45 of the remaining 400 state funded nursery schools in England believe they will be forced to close as soon as July 2017 if their concerns over funding are not addressed.
With the government intending to roll out 30-hours free childcare this year, many nurseries face huge budget cuts from April (the start of the new financial year), with many still in the dark as to the scale of cuts coming their way.
Following the most recent meeting of the APPG, which took place on 24th January, CREC directors Dr Chris Pascal and Dr Tony Bertram issued the following statement:
"Nursery schools have long been acknowledged to be the star performers in an underfunded system, making an exceptional contribution to the social mobility of our most disadvantaged children, and also to improving standards in the sector as a whole and yet their future remains in jeopardy.
"The promise of transitional funding is welcome but clearly will not safeguard the remaining Nursery Schools for long, nor nursery classes at all.
"The campaign to Save Our Nursery Schools is at a critical point as further council cuts kick in and hard choices are made.
"We must continue to advocate for the quality these schools provide and the difference to young lives they make. The impact of their loss in our community of early years practice would be deeply felt by all, but especially by those families who are currently suffering the harshest brunt of austerity.
"Action to save our Nursery Schools must intensify!"
- Dr Chris Pascal and Dr Tony Bertram, Directors - CREC
PARLIAMENT DEBATE
Maintained nursery schools funding was debated in parliament on Wednesday 1st February. You can watch the full recording of the debate below or via the following link http://bit.ly/2kUs1vF:
Alternatively, you can read the full transcript of the debate here: