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EARLY EDUCATION URGES LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO REALISE THE POTENTIAL OF THEIR
MAINTAINED NURSERY SCHOOLS - 8 July 2009
The British Association of Early
Childhood Education (Early Education) is today urging all local authorities
in England to ensure that any unrealised potential of maintained nursery
schools is capitalised and utilised effectively and efficiently in light of
the threat of closure that many are facing as local authorities struggle to
balance the demands of the single funding formula.
Launching the
Nursery
Schools Now report at a London maintained nursery school, Megan
Pacey, Chief Executive of Early Education said:
“It is evident through the course of
this research, that there are some excellent examples of local authorities
using their maintained nursery school to improve the quality of provision
across their authority. However, there are too many examples of the
expertise of maintained nursery schools not being capitalised on and
opportunities missed.
“The introduction of the single
funding formula is leading to a great deal of uncertainty for many
maintained nursery schools and fears for their future. It would be a
tragedy if some of the best early years provision in this country is lost in
the process of levelling the playing field.”
Nursery Schools Now
makes the following recommendations:
·
That local authorities engage maintained
nursery schools in their strategic planning, to ensure that the resource,
knowledge and expertise contained within maintained nursery schools are
fully utilised in the context of a progressive partnership across the local
authority area.
·
Where ‘informal’ relationships between
local authorities and maintained nursery schools exist, these are formalised
and their value is at the very least recognised and where appropriate,
recompensed.
·
That local authorities work in partnership
with maintained nursery schools to explore the potential in developing full
service level agreements (SLA) as a potential model to ensure sustainability
funding for maintained nursery schools in the future.
Megan Pacey, Chief Executive of Early
Education added:
“Maintained nursery schools have a
central role to play in the ongoing evolution of high quality, integrated
children’s services. Not only do maintained nursery schools have extensive
experience and understanding of child development, curriculum, planning,
pedagogy, formative assessment and evaluation in learning and teaching, they
also play a significant leadership role in promoting and advancing the best
practice in early learning and care.
“Maintained nursery schools have
already made a significant contribution to the evolution of the Sure Start
Children’s Centre agenda. Many have evolved to become fully integrated Sure
Start Children’s Centre themselves, while others, who remain stand alone
settings, liaise and support the successful endeavours of the Sure Start
Children’s Centre in their local area. It is clear that many would welcome
greater engagement by and dialogue with their local authorities.
“Nursery Schools Now has
identified a number of other functions that many maintained nursery schools
are already engaged in informally, that should be instilled more formally,
to enrich the quality improvement agenda that is key to improved outcomes
for all children in early learning and childcare.”
For further information please
contact:
Megan Pacey Telephone: 0207 539
540 / 07545 488 004
Chief Executive Email:
megan@early-education.org.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS:
2.
Early Education’s Chief Executive Megan
Pacey, is also available for comment.
3.
Nursery Schools Now:
Maintained Nursery Schools in England and their role in
supporting the evolution of early childhood services
can be downloaded from
www.early-education.org.uk . Early Education is grateful to the
Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) for a grant to
investigate the current position of local authority maintained nursery
schools (MNS) and how they are presently deployed within their local
authorities in England.
print the report
Nursery Schools Now (PDF
1040kb)
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