Interview with Wandsworth Council re. the One O Clock Clubs Post Reply

[mgb]

Annabel,

Thank you for posting the interview. It was helpful and enlightening to hear the Council's side. I did feel at times (further to 'twice as nice's' comment) that the interview responses seemed somewhat evasive.

Local parents want to know if the centres will still be available to everyone as they are today, and if not, what exactly is the council proposing to change and how much of a say does the community have in the decision. I don't feel that was answered.

My answers to the questions posed:
What hours would you like a ‘stay and play’ facility? The Windmill One O' Clock is open until 4.30 and this seems to work well around afternoon naps. Morning would be nice as well, but I am happy with the hours as they are currently.

Would dads and carers use the facility on a Saturday? I'm sure they would but I would not like to see it limited to fathers - we enjoy visiting the centres as a family.

What is an affordable and reasonable charge for a Stay and Play service? This should remain a free service.

There are ‘Big Society’ grants available from the Council for community engagement activities are there mums out there willing and capable of running a ‘stay & play’ session? Not sure, but we have some amazing mums in Wandsworth so anything is possible.

[NYE31]

What hours would you like a ‘stay and play’ facility?
Mornings would be good as my toddler sleeps from 12.30 - 2.30

Would dads and carers use the facility on a Saturday?
I'm sure they would but I would not like to see it limited to fathers - the centres should be open & accessible to all the family including grand parents etc

What is an affordable and reasonable charge for a Stay and Play service? I think £2 - £3 per session is more than reasonable.

[Asmeret]

I am a childminder and a parent , I use the 1 o'clock clubs but it would be nice if the clubs open in the morning too, becouse after I pick up the children and have their breakfast there is not a lot of places to go , so some days opening in the morning would be great , and I don't think we should be charged as already familys are struggling to pay for childcare cost and so on.... or if we have to pay may be we can pay one off payment membership or something then the council can have steady income for the club , can plan to a head .....this is my openion I could be wrong thank you for giving us the opportunity to give our feedback on this issue.

[Mrs Contractor Mum]

I have more questions I'm afraid - Wandsworth council states in the interview that they are broaching nursery providers about running nursery provision at the one o'clock clubs and thereby the nursery providers would organise the hours and conditions for stay and play. Which nursery providers? Are wandsworth council privatising the clubs with that statement?

Does this mean the nursery providers would in effect set the charges and timetable for stay and play sessions with some guidelines being set by the council (that do not neccessarily have to be adhered to if the costs/ requirements for provision of mandatory services make it inaffordable or unworkable)?

How much is the council having to pay these nursery operators?

Which nursery providers are they approaching for this and are they evaluating existing nursery providers within their own locations?

Other councils up and down the country are having to deliver the same - how are they proposing to meet the government challenge?

Sorry, but the interview is full of double speak. They aren't going to close the clubs but they are going to use them as nurseries instead so the building doesn't close but the facilities to parents does is what I read from it.

I think we deserve a bit more clarity here before we agree to permanently sign away yet another treasured resource.

[CMDS]

Hi Annabel, Would it not be easy to make a quick survey on Survey Monkey (www.surveymonkey.com)? It will be easier for you and the council to interpret and summarize the replies. Personally I feel more comfortable answering 'privately' then on the site where mums often have differences of opinions.

[Goldhawk]

So how many 2 year olds will be needing a place? How many are there in the borough & how many are in the magic 20%?

[Goldhawk]

Googled and found the answer myself - 800 is the central gov estimate for Wandsworth
Lambeth need places for 1400

http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenand ... -education

[Mummytothree]

F Y I
This is the result of the meeting held with Council by Alex Sykes who
ran the petition on Change:




Hi all,

Yesterday, I met with Wandsworth Council’s Cabinet member for Education & Children’s Services, Councillor Cathy Tracey, and the chair of the Education & Children’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Steffi Sutters, to get to the bottom of exactly what they have planned for the One O’Clock Clubs.

It’s not good news.

From September this year the Council has to find 894 childcare places for disadvantaged 2 year olds, rising to 1,400 extra places by 2014. This is not their decision but an obligation imposed by the Government. Wandsworth Council says this is why it has to change the use of the One O’Clock Club buildings. They claim they have no choice – they are simply the only available suitable spaces for the two year olds.

They will ask private nurseries to take over the buildings on 5 year leases at the following centres from 1 June 2013:

• Bolingbroke
• Windmill
• Coronation Gardens
• King George’s Park
• Fontley Way

Are there really no alternatives buildings available? A new private nursery’s just opened in a Council owned building in Wandsworth Cemetery. The Alvering library on Allfarthing Lane was turned into a Prep School last year. Councillor Tracey accepted that these sites would have been suitable. I suspect there are others around.

Plus, there seems to be a question as to whether the One O'Clock clubs are suitable as nurseries for 2 year olds anyway. Many of the One O'Clock Clubs are already used as playgroups or nurseries in the morning so any new places would be in the afternoons. Of course, two year olds have naps in the afternoons. Hardly ideal. A meeting of the Council's Early Years Partnership this morning (made up fo Children's centre staff, childminders, nursery heads, parents and other early years experts) shared this view but, sadly, has no power to influence the Council's decision.

The real problem is that even if the One O'Clock Club buildings aren’t needed for new nurseries, there’s no funding for them anymore.

The One O’Clock Clubs are paid for from the Early Years Intervention Grant the Council gets from the government. When the new policy comes into operation it won’t get this money any more. Instead, the government will pay the money directly to the nurseries providing the 2 year old places. So the funding for the One O’Clock Clubs has effectively disappeared. Turning them into nurseries kills two birds with one stone. Handy!

What will happen to the drop in ‘Stay & Play’ sessions currently run from the One O’Clock Centres? Councillor Tracey stressed that she is committed to them continuing in some form. There will be a consultation. Ultimately though, it will be up to the private nurseries who take them over. To use the Council’s wording the nurseries will have “the opportunity…to offer a “Stay and play” facility for a charge and at hours to suit their provision”.

On top of all this (and somewhat giving lie to the Council’s insistence this is all about the 2 year old places) the Battersea Park One O’Clock Centre building will be put out to tender for use as a family friendly commercial café as part of the redesign of the Adventure Playground.

So under the Council’s plans the One O’Clock Clubs as we know and love them are going to disappear as soon as 1st June.

The plan to use the buildings for nurseries will be discussed (and presumably approved) at a Committee meeting on 12th February at the Town Hall at 7.30 pm. There will then be a consultation into what “Stay and Play” services are offered going forward.

I asked for permission to address the Committee meeting which will decide the issue but this has been refused. It's meetings are public though so, although we won't be able to actually speak, I'm still keen to get as many people as possible along to the meeting just to show the strength of opposition there is to the plan. It is at 7.30 pm on 12th Febuary at the Town Hall. Put it in your diaries!

Thanks for your support

Alex

This message is from Alex Sykes who started the petition "Wandsworth Council: Keep the Wandsworth One O'Clock Clubs Open," which you signed on Change.org.

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[fiona f]

I agree with many of the posts that morning stay and play sessions would be ideal. I also understand that for some families the current timings of one o clock clubs dont always work for sleeping babies but often in the summer months i would go along to the end of session and bring a picnic tea for children to have nearby afterwards. I would be happy if the stay and play sessions were the same, mornings or open slighly later til 4.30/5. They are a great facility and valuable to the children and community for parents as support and childcarers too. Weekends are a good idea even if they were only one saturday amonth (like some childrens centres currently do). Not just for dads but working parents or extended families ie grandparents. I would be happy to pay a fee of £2 per child and maybe a deduction for additional siblings. On special fun days where extra activities have been arranged like a fire engine visit I would pay extra as these are always great and very exciting for children.

[Goldhawk]

Another issue with the one o clock clubs is that they are for 5 years & under so if you have any older kids with you - say in the holidays - they can't join in

[twice_as_nice]

Hi

It seems that the Windmill Nursery might be providing a 'stay and play' facility - currently I think they're looking at doing so from 1-3 but they are looking for feedback (most of which will be that their target age group are asleep for a lot of that time).

Anyway, I've been forwarded an email originating from Pat who runs the windmill nursery has sent out a short survey she's asked people to complete and return. I don't think it's possible to attach the document here - so I will start a new thread for people to fill in (as it's specifically about the windmill one oclock club, not all clubs).

But, given this move, I'm wondering if that now means that they aren't going to use the windmill for the free spaces....in which case why is it closing?!!! brings back my original assumption that the free places for underprivileged 2 year olds is just an excuse to close them (or am I being too cynical - I suspect not unfortunately!)

[Tils1]

I would fully support a stay and play and used to go to the Windmill one o'clock club but with two under threes who both sleep for two hours over lunch anything around that period is useless...

Good luck and i hope it gets up and running though...