“Outstanding” nursery highlighted in Parliament

AN “outstanding” nursery and forest school in Warrington were highlighted in a Parliamentary debate on funding for maintained nursery schools.
Warrington North MP Helen Jones led the debate and described maintained nursery  schools as “the jewel in the crown of early years education.”
Ms Jones expressed concern about the fears expressed by nursey schools that one in 10 think, as a result of the Government’s funding formula, they will have to close by July.
Another 67 per cent believe they will have to close by the end of the transitional funding.
The MP said: “This is despite the outstanding record maintained nursery schools have – 60 per cent rated outstanding by OSTED and 39 per cent as good.
“This compares to only 17 per cent of other nurseries and pre school providers and 13 per cent  of childminders being rated as outstanding.”
Ms Jones said maintained nursey schools provide early years education, employing qualified teachers, but are funded not as schools but through early years funding which has been consistently cut by government.
She said the Sandy Lane Nursery and Forest School in Orford served two wards among the most deprived 30 per cent in the country.
“In Orford 33.7 per cent of children are growing up in workless families. In Poplars and Hulme the figure is 32.9%. The fact that the nursery is rated outstanding in those circumstances is a tribute to the skill and expertise of the staff, but that is by no means unusual.”
She called on the Government to start investing in maintained nursery schools like Sandy Lane who OFSTED praised for ensuring that the vast majority of children going on to reception classes are at the right level despite the fact that most children arrive at the nursery school with skills far below the level expected of their age group.
The expertise the maintained nursery schools offered in their provision for disabled children was also second to none.  If these schools closed, where would the youngsters go.
“We already know that 42 per cent of parents of children with disabilities find difficulty in accessing the early years provision that they are entitled to.”
Ms Jones added: “There can be good early years provision or there can be cheap early years provision – there cannot be good, cheap early years provision. It requires high ratios of staff to children and properly trained staff. What sort of government would want to put such a high-achieving sector, with such a wealth of expertise and such a record in promoting social mobility, in jeopardy?
“The government needs to look at this urgently. They need to ensure that they get a grip, to stop closures from coming this summer and to ensure the future of our maintained nurseries.”