All systems go for new Shankhill nursery
Last updated 11:30, Friday, 05 December 2008
When Rebecca, Rosa and Charlotte started at nursery this autumn it wasn’t just an exciting day for the girls and their parents – it was a cause of celebration for everyone in the area.
The new facility at Shankhill Primary School a few miles from Hethersgill in the north east of the county means that children from the age of three can enjoy a seamless education at the school, up to the age of 11, ensuring a bright future for this rural corner of Cumbria.
However, before September of this year, things were very different.
“The rural isolation here meant that for some families it was physically impossible to send their child to nursery, because they lived too far away,” said headteacher Diane Urwin. “And others didn’t want to send their child to a nursery knowing they would be starting again at a different school in a year’s time.”
But staff and parents were determined to remedy this problem, and have now taken advantage of new legislation to offer nursery provision within the school, which has 33 pupils.
It has taken nearly two years to reach this stage. Originally, the school had planned to get a change of status so they could admit three-year-olds. But the local authority said there was a moratorium on any school in Cumbria doing this.
Other options included opening a private nursery or setting up a voluntary management group. Both posed different problems. Instead the school chose to go down the extended services route. Extended services, part of the Government’s Every Child Matters programme, aims to make fuller community use of schools, opening them up to provide childcare and extra-curricular activities, for example.
The school had to register with Ofsted for a second time but governor June Armstrong discovered last spring that, to coincide with September’s introduction of the Early Years Foundation Stage, schools looking to provide childcare no longer needed to do this.
“We had to prove that the nursery is financially viable and cost-effective, which it is,” explained Diane. “We finally got the plan approved just two days before the end of the summer term.”
June had no personal reason for instituting the change; her daughter Maria is now six.
“I just felt very strongly that it would benefit the families immensely,” she said.
“Having social interaction when you’re young is really important. It’s been really worth it, to see their three little faces. And we can’t help but think what we are doing is good, for rural areas and for Cumbria as a whole.”
The nursery pupils are taught with the reception class. All the children are now covered by the Early Years Foundation Stage remit, so they are taught the same subjects but at a suitable pace for their age and ability.
Both Karen Storey’s daughters now attend the school. Emma, five, is in reception class and three-year-old Rebecca joined the nursery in September. “From day one they both settled in here and they love it,” said Karen.
“It was great for Rebecca, having her big sister here, and you can tell they both love it. They are full of energy when they get back home after a day here.
“Rebecca was at Fir Ends so this is much handier, but the main thing is they’re both happy here. Now Rebecca never needs to be uprooted, and can continue at her local school.”
David Vaughan is a parent governor whose three-year-old daughter Rosa has started at the nursery.
He said: “This allows continuity for Rosa and in two years’ time her little brother Carlos can come here from nursery up.
“It will help all kids coming into the school, by giving them an uninterrupted experience.”
The third new starter is three-year-old Charlotte Barrett, whose sister Lydia, six, is also at Shankhill. Her mum Tracey is on the PTA, which helped to secure the opening of the nursery.
“We tried long and hard, for about 18 months, to get the nursery in place,” she said. “It was urgently needed and will also keep the school going, because it will secure future numbers.”
Parents and staff are delighted with the outcome, but they are also keen that other schools become aware of the change in legislation.
“The legislation came into force in September 1,” said June, “but this aspect of it hasn’t been widely publicised.
“There are several documents that are over 50 pages long and it would be easy to miss a small paragraph about changes in registration for schools.
“I double-checked my interpretation with both Ofsted and the Department for Children, Schools and Families, and also got the local authority involved. It took a couple of months before we were rewarded with the news that we could go ahead with our plans.”
“We are breaking new ground with the nursery,” adds Diane. “But this sort of provision isn’t a luxury, it should be a right for families.”
