4 learning January/February 2009
EARLY YEARS www.cumberland-news.co.uk/learning
for the latest education news in Cumbria
NEWS IN BRIEF
Family affair: Teaching pair wed
Bothel
nursery
assistant
Naomi
Breese
was
married
by her
grand-
father Pastor Eric Alldritt at the
Lake Road Congregational Church in
Keswick. It was only the second
wedding at the church in 10 years.
Naomi married 23-year-old James
Webb, who works as a teacher in
Carlisle.
Play area: Children are designers
Children at a nursery and infant
school in Cumbria have helped to
design their new play area.
Victoria Infant and Nursery School
in Workington is getting a new solar-
powered water feature thanks to
funding from Sellafield-based Amec
Nuclear.
The silver ball mounted on pebbles
is part of a wider project to redevelop
the school grounds that the children
have been involved in designing.
Hayton Church of England Primary School,The Reading Room,
Hayton, Brampton CA8 9HT Tel: 01228 670011
Ofsted - Nov 2007: `Warm, welcoming safe and
secure environment'
`Children are happy and contented'
Opening Times 9am-3.15pm Term time only
Contacts available for After School and holiday provision
LittleAcornsNurseryLittleAcornsNursery
Quality Nursery Childcare
2-4 years
Experienced Qualified
Caring Staff
Excellent preparation for
school - joining school
assembly and plays
Enclosed safe stimulating
outdoor play area
Healthy living and eating
encouraged
Funded places available for
term after 3rd birthday
Community garden: Bravo, Margaret
A new council-
funded
community
garden is being
created at St
Peter's Pre-
School in
Kingstown, Carlisle. Margaret Bravo,
71, who helped set up the pre-school
40 years ago, and still works there, is
helping on the project.
Nursery places: When to apply
It is not too early for parents of pre-
school children eligible for free part-
time nursery education to start
looking around for a suitable place.
Every three- and four-year-old in
Cumbria is entitled to a free nursery
education provided by a school, day
nursery, pre-school or childminder.
Children born between April and
August 2006 are eligible from
September; applications close in
March.
For those born in the last three
months of 2006, the closing date is in
September with a starting date of
January 2010.
A
s we enter 2009 and the credit
crunch bites even harder, pressure
could start mounting on parents
looking to find the perfect nursery for
their child.
Leaders of north Cumbria's network of
day nurseries say they have yet to
witness the full impact on their industry
from the global economic events.
But it is believed that as families feel
the pinch, parents will be looking to
return to work more quickly in an
attempt to boost household incomes.
This in turn, it is anticipated, would
lead to an increase in young babies being
placed in nurseries and therefore lead to
a rush for available places.
It is not uncommon already to find
that some pregnant women begin casting
their eye over nurseries before their
babies are even born.
Vicky Armstrong, 28, owns Stepping
Stones Nursery in Denton Holme,
Carlisle. She and Sarah Cooper, manager
of Crosby Nursery, were recently elected
as joint chairs of the Carlisle network of
the National Day Nurseries Association
(NDNA). The group, which has 23
members from across Carlisle and
Penrith, held its annual general meeting
earlier this month.
Vicky said: "We think the credit
crunch is going to have a huge effect on
nurseries.
"Some mums may have to go back to
work before their maternity leave ends
because they can't afford to stay at home,
although we must remember that it may
have the opposite effect if people lose
their jobs and stay at home."
She added: "You'll always get parents
popping in all the time, sometimes before
their babies have been born, to have a
look around. Looking for a nursery is
like looking for a house � you'll know
when you've find the right one when you
walk in and you feel the atmosphere and
whether that is right for you."
Nurseries and pre-school settings will
also be under increasing pressure to
ensure that they begin to meet a new
Government standard. By 2015 every
nursery must have at least one
practitioner who has achieved the
Early Years Professional Status, the
graduate standard that aims to improve
Meeting the challenge: Vicky Armstrong, owner and manager of Stepping
Stones Nursery in Denton Street, Carlisle PICTURES: LOUISE PORTER
Crunch time � and
the pressure is on
Vicky Armstrong, joint chair of the Carlisle network of the National Day
Nurseries Association, tells Kelly Eve her predictions for trends in 2009
`We think that the credit
crunch is going to have a
huge effect on nurseries'
learning
Out Friday February 20
IINN TTHHEE NNEEXXTT EEDDIITTIIOONN:: TThhee CCaarrlliissllee ccaarree hhoommee tthhaatt
iiss ppiioonneeeerriinngg ttrraaiinniinngg aanndd qquuaalliiffiiccaattiioonnss iinn tthhee iinndduussttrryyFor further details please tel: 016977 41279
Main Street, Brampton.
Brampton Nursery School
Outstanding Early Years Education
Owned and managed by 2 fully qualified
and experienced teachers
Providing a warm caring and stimulating
educational environment for 2-5 year olds
Highly qualified and motivated staff
OFSTED registered for Nursery Grants
Qualified teaching of early years French, P.E. and dance.
Large secure garden and activity area
OFSTED DEC 07.
"The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding"
"Children are exceedingly happy, very contented and
motivated ... all children make excellent progress"
Est 1984

Page 1Page 2Page 3Page 4Page 5Page 6Page 7Page 8Page 9Page 10Page 11Page 12Page 13Page 14Page 15Page 16Page 17Page 18Page 19Page 20 Produced by PageSuite