Nursery schools: ‘What society gives children less chance than their parents?’
I think this story signals a sad trend for the highest quality educational practice for nippers in rural areas. It tells us:
Since 1980 a third of local authority maintained nursery schools in England have closed, and despite their record of improving outcomes for the most deprived children, a survey suggests one in 10 of the remaining 400 believe they will have to shut by July.
Newspapers and websites across the country have been reporting the threat facing nursery schools for weeks, from Lancashire to Birmingham and beyond. In Leicestershire, a consultation is under way about plans to close Countesthorpe Nursery and replace it with a bigger, governor-run nursery at a nearby primary school. The sector is watching developments closely.
The nursery schools movement began in the 1920s with the formation of the Nursery Schools Association under its first president, Margaret McMillan, a campaigner for children’s rights. Vice-presidents included the likes of Ramsay MacDonald and Bertrand Russell, and the 1929 election of a Labour government provided a boost to the movement. Nine nursery schools were opened in England, focused in areas where children were growing up in slums. Then, as the second world war threatened, more were opened in evacuation areas for children fleeing the cities. Homerton was one of those nurseries, opening in 1940 in the grounds of Cambridge University’s Homerton College, where it flourished for more than 20 years before moving to its current site in Holbrook Road.
Few dispute the value of nursery schools – they provide high-quality early education, promote inclusion and improve long-term outcomes for children, particularly those from challenging backgrounds. Last week, the early years minister, Caroline Dinenage, paid tribute to their work during a packed meeting of the all-party parliament group (APPG) on nursery schools. In addition to teaching the children in their care, institutions such as Homerton share good practice with other providers in their area and offer teacher training.
However, nursery schools are more expensive than other early years provision, principally because of the cost of employing qualified specialist teachers. At a time when the government is keen to promote social mobility, campaigners say nursery schools help close the attainment gap more effectively than any other part of the education system.