Workers' Liberty

Hot news today. Sending your kids to nursery turns them into yobs, yes it does.

SureStart - the government’s project for children under 4 - has cut funding to some local facilities for young kids.

It is shifting its services to showpiece ‘Children’s Centres’, such as the Ann Tayler Centre on London Fields, but this seems to be at the expense of play sessions on estates and in the community: where they are needed most.

Well, that's the post-election rest out of the window.

I got a phone call today from the Under-5s Project saying that SureStart has pulled the funding for the baby & toddler group on our estate with immediate effect.

A letter from me to Queensbridge & Dalston SureStart ...

Withdrawal of funding to Hackney Playbus

I was shocked and disappointed to discover recently that Queensbridge & Dalston SureStart has ceased its funding to the Hackney Playbus.

The Playbus is now no longer able to attend its sessions on Aspland estate, which my young son and his friends enjoyed greatly.

Over the last six years, all three of my kids have benefited from the services of the Playbus. When we have been able to attend it regularly, it has been something that they have looked forward to all week.

The National Evaluation of SureStart (NESS) has published some early reports. It seems that these contain both praise and criticism - in particular, that it is not reaching some of the most needy kids and families. This has prompted me to dig out an article I wrote three years ago on this subject. Not that I'm saying "I told you so", but, erm, I told you so.

Nursery Nurses across Scotland have been on all-out strike from 1 March 2004.

The basic pay for this vitally important job runs from around £10,000 for a newly qualified nursery nurse up to £13,800 after 10 years' experience. In a dispute that has been running for three years UNISON have made a claim for nursery nurses to take their pay up to £14,000-£18,000 with merit for nursery nurses working longer hours and weeks. They also want a career structure for promoted staff.

Nursery nurses in Scotland are continuing their indefinite strike action after the Scottish Parliament rejected calls for a national pay settlement. Around 300 of the 5,000 nurses on strike demonstrated for improved pay outside the Scottish Parliament as MSPs debated the issue on 11 March.

Nursery nurses in Scotland have just completed a fresh found of strike action. Between 6-10 October nurseries were closed in Edinburgh and the Lothians, Stirling, Inverclyde, the Highlands, Orkney and Moray.

By Vicki Morris

The Scottish parliament on Wednesday 24 September was due to debate the nursery nurses' dispute, with Scottish Socialist Party MSP Carolyn Leckie moving support.

Five thousand nursery nurses, members of Unison, who work in Scottish local authority nurseries are pursuing a pay claim for £18,500. Their average pay currently is £13,000. They also demand a 35-hour week, full pension rights and a clear career structure.

Five thousand nursery nurses across Scotland started a programme of rolling strike action on May 21st. The action started with walk-outs in the West of Scotland. Action in Edinburgh and East Lothian follows on Wednesday and Thursday 28/29 May.

By Janine Booth - From Solidarity 3/14, 11 October 2002

I live in a SureStart pilot area. SureStart is a government project to help children younger than four years old. But for many parents, kids and workers, it has been a frustrating experience.

By Jean Lane

In the centre of Hackney, where the children, by and large, live in tower blocks and where green space is a rare commodity, St John's Nursery provided a beautiful, open, green space for over 40 kids.

By Rosie Woods

Parents have pledged to fight Hackney Council's plan to close St.John's nursery.

"St. John's is a popular nursery that provides a good standard of care", said Janine Booth, whose three-year-old son Alex attends the nursery. "Parents have seen the way that our kids have benefited - they are getting a great start in their education, development and social skills, looked after by skilled professionals in a multi-racial setting. Now Hackney Council wants to take that away.