Parents of children at Downhall school are receiving the following letter:
Date 18 November 2009
Dear Parents
I would like to invite you to a public meeting regarding the opportunities and impacts surrounding the proposal to build a phase three children’s centre on the school grounds at Down Hall Primary School.
The meeting, to be held at Down Hall Primary School on 2 December 2009 at 8.00pm, will show how concerns have been addressed since the first public consultation. The size of the site has been reduced and plans have been drawn up for additional parking spaces.
Representatives from Essex County Council Schools, Children and Families Directorate will be on hand to answer questions and an existing children’s centre manager will present on what a children’s centre is and how they can benefit the local community. There will be a short presentation to describe some of the activities that a children’s centre can offer families, and how they deliver integrated services that help increase attainment and improve outcomes for families.
I hope this meeting will dispel some of the myths around children’s centres and will give you, the community, a chance to voice your opinions.
I look forward to meeting you on the 2nd.Yours faithfully,
Cllr Stephen Castle
Cabinet Member for Education and the 2012 Games
Essex County Council
I am confused! In an article published recently Sure Start centres was number 2 on the list Conservatives money saving cuts should they get into power.
I see that Steven Castle is a Cabinet member for Education and you would think he would be aware of this so why is he obviously supporting this?
It does rather beg the question can we believe what they say?
These cuts are if conservative get in, they are not in power yet !!!
Given the amount of enthusiasm for this project by some people in both the council and the school, and the unfaltering urge to push forward with it despite the opposition from parents, I assume there must be some incentives for those involved – budget incentives, political brownie points, enhanced CV, kudos?
I’m looking forward to the meeting.
I know they are not in power but my point is why does Stephen Castle seem to be supporting this. Labour are also aware that this is an area where money could be saved. I am not sure of the Lib Dems position on these Childrens Centres.
All parties have acknowledged that money needs to be saved in this country and the Government CANNOT continue spending money the way it has. So why are they planning to “waste” money on something that there does not seem any great need for in this area.
DH . As far as I can see the Conservatives would keep the centres but cut back on some of the outreach services.
As for the Lib Dem position, the party wants to help support families – especially in deprived areas- and generally sees Sure Start as a valuable part of that. Where centres already exist the party wants to protect them from cuts. To quote Lib Dem Shadow Minister Annette Brooks from last month:
When we look at the aims that a typical Sure Start centre is likely to have, they seem enormous. They include outreach, home visiting, support for families and parents, good-quality play, learning and child care experiences, primary and community health care, family health, support for people with special needs, and access to specialised services. In addition, we would like to have employment advice, links with Jobcentre Plus, literacy and numeracy programmes, relationship support and domestic violence services, to name but a few.
Of course, it is highly unlikely that all Sure Start centres will be expert at providing all those things, and that is where local decision making is really important, as is the governance of the centre itself. I welcome the proposals in the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill to engage more with the local community and to ensure that the services on offer are appropriate. Research carried out by Capacity indicates that Sure Start is “unquestionably crucial” in promoting early childhood development and responding to deprivation. It states that the strongest centres are providing all those services.
However I think there is a concern amongst some Lib Dems that rolling these centres across the whole country is being done too hastily and Sure Start could be targeted better than simply building a centre for every community.
To quote Lib Dem MP Norman Lamb from this month in a debate about health inequalities:
The Minister said that Sure Start and children’s centres are an example of how the Government have learned, but the Committee’s report suggests otherwise. Has there actually been an evaluation of the impact of shifting from Sure Start to children’s centres and spreading them across all communities, and was that effectively piloted? While it is fair to say that every mother needs guidance and support, surely if we are to address health inequalities we need to target that effort in the most disadvantaged communities. Is there any evidence that the policy is achieving that?
As an article in the Guardian put it “Lib Dems (whose experience on the ground is not to be sniffed at) pointed out that the programme had been expanded too quickly, with centres set up where buildings were available rather than where they would be most accessible. More focus might have led to better results.”
At the grassroots levels it’s down to individual communities to think about what’s best for their areas and to get things to be done properly.
For example, near us in Eastwood local Lib Dems have written: “A second SureStart Childrens Centre is now open at Eastwood Primary School. The centre is designed to give children aged between 4 and 5 years the best possible introduction to full-time education.It will also give valuable help to local mums. There are still a few issues that your local Lib Dem Councillors are trying to resolve with the council issues affecting on-site parking, but it is hoped that the centre will be fully in action by early next year.”
DH, The Conservatives seems to want to keep existing centres but cut back on outreach.
As for the Lib Dems, the party wants to help support families – especially in deprived areas- and generally sees Sure Start as a valuable part of that. Where centres already exist the party wants to protect them from cuts. To quote Lib Dem Shadow Minister Annette Brooks from last month:
When we look at the aims that a typical Sure Start centre is likely to have, they seem enormous. They include outreach, home visiting, support for families and parents, good-quality play, learning and child care experiences, primary and community health care, family health, support for people with special needs, and access to specialised services. In addition, we would like to have employment advice, links with Jobcentre Plus, literacy and numeracy programmes, relationship support and domestic violence services, to name but a few.
Of course, it is highly unlikely that all Sure Start centres will be expert at providing all those things, and that is where local decision making is really important, as is the governance of the centre itself. I welcome the proposals in the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill to engage more with the local community and to ensure that the services on offer are appropriate. Research carried out by Capacity indicates that Sure Start is “unquestionably crucial” in promoting early childhood development and responding to deprivation. It states that the strongest centres are providing all those services.
However I think there is a concern amongst some Lib Dems that rolling these centres across the whole country is being done too hastily and Sure Start could be targeted better than simply building a centre for every community.
To quote Lib Dem MP Norman Lamb from this month in a debate about health inequalities:
As an article in the Guardian put it “Lib Dems (whose experience on the ground is not to be sniffed at) pointed out that the programme had been expanded too quickly, with centres set up where buildings were available rather than where they would be most accessible. More focus might have led to better results.”
At the grassroots levels it’s down to individual community leaders to think about what’s best for their areas and to get things to be done properly.
For example, near us in Eastwood local Lib Dems have written: “A second SureStart Childrens Centre is now open at Eastwood Primary School. The centre is designed to give children aged between 4 and 5 years the best possible introduction to full-time education.It will also give valuable help to local mums. There are still a few issues that your local Lib Dem Councillors are trying to resolve with the council issues affecting on-site parking, but it is hoped that the centre will be fully in action by early next year.”
Looks like Billericay schools are facing the same now:
http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/4762931.Billericay_could_have_its_own_Sure_Start_children_s_centre/