Poole nurseries win a stay of execution (From Bournemouth Echo)

Poole nurseries win a stay of execution

8:50am Thursday 18th February 2010 in

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NURSERIES and pre-schools in Poole threatened with closure have won a vital stay of execution in the row over funding.

Poole was left off a list of local authorities, announced this week by children’s minister Dawn Primarolo, approved to introduce a new funding formula this year.

Poole’s providers will breathe a huge sigh of relief at the news, as they had urged the council to delay implementation of the shake-up.

They felt it could have pushed many of them to the brink of financial ruin.

But the knock-back gives them another year to convince the council to come up with a fairer formula.

Anthony Macrow-Wood, from St George’s pre-school in Oakdale, one of the threatened providers, said it was a “victory for common sense”. “I’m delighted the formula is not going ahead,” he said.

“I hope council officers will re-discover the true definition of consultation and engage in meaningful discussions with providers to ensure we arrive at a fairer funding formula.”

More than three-quarters of the town’s pre-schools and nurseries signed a petition expressing dismay at Poole’s proposed formula.

It was picked up by MP Annette Brooke, who urged Ms Primarolo to intervene.

Vicky Wales, head of children’s services at the council, said she felt Poole’s formula would have helped raise the overall standard of the town’s providers.

She added she was “disappointed” that nurseries in disadvantaged areas would not now receive the proposed additional support.

The council now goes back to the drawing board with the providers to come up with a new formula.

It must be ready for April next year, when all local authorities must be ready to join the government’s Pathfinder programme.

Bournemouth council is one of the 56 local authorities approved to implement the Early Years Single Funding Formula this year. The new method of distribution, aimed at safeguarding free entitlement for three and four-year-olds, will kick in from April.

The government insists its aim is to distribute funding more fairly.