Harrow commits to EYFS improvement despite cuts

Harrow council has pledged to improve Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) results as a matter of priority under plans to redesign children’s centre provision

The London borough is cutting its children’s centre budget by £1.2m, but following consultation with parents and children’s services staff, the authority has decided to keep all of its 16 centres open, but reduce some of their hours.

Under the proposed “hub and spoke” model, the council will keep four centres open throughout the day. These centres will then be designated a number of satellite centres which will open when certain classes and activities take place.

Services will only be commissioned if they have proven positive results for children in the hope that this will boost attainment levels of young children.

“The feedback has helped us to come up with a solution that I believe with see our centre’s flourish and improve even further.”

Of the 525 people who responded to the council’s consultation in the summer, 45 per cent said the children’s centres help them make more friends and 44 per cent said they had a better understanding of how to support their child. Seventy seven per cent of parents responding to the consultation said the expertise of staff was what they valued most about the centres.

The four “hub” centres were chosen because of their location, size and the type of services they currently deliver.