Mother_Goose Posted June 6, 2017 Posted June 6, 2017 This is actually a personal question relating to the setting that my child attends. As a parent I have been notified that the pre-school has received a proposal from the local primary to "join up with the School and become part of the School". Although the building is on the school grounds, the pre-school is currently a CIO and completely independently run to the school. We have an EGM soon to vote on the matter and I'm looking for some input of the pros/cons/questions to ask so that I can make an informed vote. I would be extremely grateful for any input you can give - whether you've gone through a similar change or have considered and rejected this in the past. Thanks in advance.
finleysmaid Posted June 6, 2017 Posted June 6, 2017 will this change the way the curriculum is presented? How will the budget be determined for the pre-school resources? will the ratio of staff to children change?
zigzag Posted June 6, 2017 Posted June 6, 2017 Not such a different situation as the one I fear we may be in soon. I am fighting my hardest against it as I want to stay independent and know that OUR funding goes back into OUR setting and OUR children! It would also have massive implications for all of us staff as they would put in a qualified teacher and probably only one assistant. Shall be watching this thread with interest.
Mouseketeer Posted June 7, 2017 Posted June 7, 2017 Also watching with interest, we operate the same way Sarah-Jones, it hasn't come up yet but I fear as the school is going down the academy route it won't be long before it's on someone's agenda :-(
zigzag Posted June 7, 2017 Posted June 7, 2017 (edited) We rent a room from the school and have done from the year dot! but are a independent committee run group. The school we are part of is part of a five school MAT which could be increasing to include 15 more schools! We have been told that from September our rent will increase by 400% !!!!! We are currently fighting this as there is no way we can afford this. They have on a couple of occasions muttered about incorporating us, which I am dead set against happening. We are currently waiting for a response to a letter sent yesterday.....watch this space! Edited to say we are a small very rural group with limited catchment. Edited June 7, 2017 by zigzag
Liz_Curtis Posted June 7, 2017 Posted June 7, 2017 Following this with interest. The school my pre-school is based at is part of an academy and they are pushing for us to come on board so that they can be the first academy in the area that can provide care and education from age 2 to 18. So far the benefits to us seem very few and far between, and trying to get any advice/support from the local authority regarding what to do, is proving fruitless!
Nyem Posted January 6, 2018 Posted January 6, 2018 Hi, i'm interested to see if anyone has actually joined with their local Primary School? We are in a very complicated situation. We are currently located temporarily within a community building for the elderly. We recently bought a second hand modular building for £10000 (currently in storage) and are planning to locate it on a private site next to the primary school - leased site for 5 years. We do not have the funds to move the building yet and need to source this, but have to be out of our current building in July. We had a meeting with the Primary school yesterday and discussed the possibility of them siting us and possibly taking over the preschool - they converted to an academy September. We were previously located within the school but have always be independent but were given notice to leave the school 4 years ago as school numbers increased and they needed the space. We have remained working closely with the school and have always been supportive of us. We are struggling to retain a committee and barely scrapped one together this year. We are a very small Pre-school with 1 full-time and 3 part-time members of staff and currently only 16 children on role - although the number has decreased from 25 when we were in the school and were able to open 5 days (currently only 4 days due to building usage). Could we dissolve and give the school our assets? or would we have to give them to the PSLA? The Head is probably spending his weekend discussing this with the trust, but I would like to find out any info I can for myself. Thanks a lot x
HoneyPancakes Posted January 8, 2018 Posted January 8, 2018 This situation sounds similar to the Childminder Agency vs Independent Childminder scenario. Was a big argument a couple of years ago and I was dead set against it at the time, but with the reduction in LA support for childminders, and the pressure on schools to be seen to provide wrap-around care and take children on younger and younger, I'm beginning to give in and let the schools control everything. They're just going to suck up all the business so may as well be in it rather than in competition with each other.
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