On a rainy Saturday in November, hundreds of people marched through Oxford, protesting against plans to close the county’s 44 children’s centres and replace them with eight ‘family and resource centres’. Under these plans the council would stop commissioning universal services such as ‘stay and play’, and would focus instead on targeting the most vulnerable. The council says the move is driven by the need to make savings of £290m after swingeing budget cuts, while still delivering statutory services such as child protection.
It is the same story all over the country – Norfolk County Council plans to cut spending on children’s centres by more than a quarter, while Brighton & Hove City Council intends to close five children’s centres. Meanwhile, councillors in the London borough of Newham voted in September to ‘de-register’ 11 of 19 children’s centres. These venues will still be able to offer activities, but will not be Ofsted inspected.
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Unlimited access to news and opinion
-
Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news
Already have an account? Sign in here
