The council’s proposed closure of Brighton’s nursery school is likely to hit children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) the hardest, undermining incentives to cut carbon emissions. Parents say it can turn into
They also question Brighton and Hove City Council’s claim that the Bright Start Nursery facility needs repairs costing over £500,000.
And the council could move the nursery to a more suitable facility nearby, saving more than 20 jobs, they said. I’m here.
Parents have asked to see a 2019 “condition survey” that backs up claims for building repairs, but the council said it won’t be shared until Friday, January 20.
Still, city councilors are due to vote at a meeting tomorrow (Monday, January 9) at Hove City Hall through a report aimed at justifying the closure proposal.
Parents of Bright Start said:
“Since this study is based on 15-year projections, it is worth knowing whether all or part of this work can be deferred and what is essential and what is simply ‘ideal’.
“The building’s inadequacy has not been an issue for 30 years and has not prevented the nursery from obtaining a ‘good’ Ofsted rating. Why is it suddenly a problem now?
“Are the ‘fire risk assessment’ actions and recommendations being implemented? There is no indication of how insurmountable or urgent these issues are, or how much it will cost to sort them out.
“Perhaps the fact that day care centers are still allowed to operate over 50 children suggests that there is no immediate threat to life?”
The parents also said that even if the construction costs were too high, the nursery itself (staff, children and equipment) could be relocated rather than closed. Did.
They also cited at least one inaccuracy regarding the condition of the facility in a report scheduled to be discussed by the council’s Children, Youth and Skills Committee tomorrow.
They said: “Given this inaccuracy, are you wondering if you also want to check other information given about the condition of the building?”
Bright Start’s parents also said the council’s report “provided an inappropriate and misleading list of alternative providers.”
The council run nursery is located in Old Slipper Bath, Barracks Yards, North Road, Brighton and is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm and has places for over 55 children year round.
The Council wants to close the Bright Start Nursery in Brighton.
In a note to councilors, the parent said:
“Some of the childcare centers listed are only open from 9am to 4pm, and more than a quarter of them are semester only. can not.
“Parents independently analyzed the list provided, but based on the more detailed information we gathered, there are few real alternatives for our children.
“At least 15 of the nurseries within a two-mile radius are more than a mile away or are located on steep hills and are not walkable by strollers or small children.
“Many Bright Start parents do not drive, so they have to add time to their commute to and from daycares far from the city center.
“Bright Start is the only remaining important nursery school in the city center. It is easily accessible by bus and train, and has become a lifeline for parents who commute to work or school.
“Two miles in Brighton is really a long commute and you can’t come back so far out of town during the morning and evening rush hour to drop off the kids before you go to work.”
Parents and supporters campaigned to save Bright Start Nursery School in front of the council meeting at Hove City Hall last month.
A note from the parents stated that while the nearest similar facility would cost as much as £60 a week, a quarter of Bright Start’s families belong to the poorest 10% of the country’s population. rice field.
They said parents of SEND children have been rejected by other nurseries, adding:
And if Bright Start were to close, the council could have to provide alternative assistance to affected families, effectively creating a sham economy.
