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TO: EXECUTIVE MEMBER FOR CHILDREN’S SERVICES AND EXECUTIVE MEMBER FOR EDUCATION & LIBRARIES

DATE: 21 March 2006

CHILDREN’S CENTRES DEVELOPMENT (Director of Education, Children’s Services & Libraries)

1 PURPOSE OF DECISION

1.1 The purpose of this decision is to seek approval for the continued development of Children’s Centres in line with the Implementation Plan previously agreed. Specifically, approval is sought to establish capital projects on the sites of Great Hollands Primary School and Fox Hill Primary School to meet the funding requirements of the Government Office for the South East (GoSE).

1.2 Approval is also sought for the temporary enhancement of staffing within the Property, Planning and Contracts team to assist in the implementation of the programme.

2 RECOMMENDATIONS

2.1 That the proposed children’s centre developments at Great Hollands School and Fox Hill School be approved;

2.2 that the implications for the remainder of the programme are noted; and

2.3 that a part time Project Officer be recruited to assist the Capital Manager in this role.

3 REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

3.1 A detailed development plan, attached as Annex 1, is required by GoSE in order that the proposed centres might be designated as Children’s Centres.

4 ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED

4.1 The planned development of Children’s Centres within Forest has previously been approved by the Executive Member for Children’s Services, following extensive consideration by the Extended Schools and Children’s Centres Working Group and the Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership. At this stage, consideration of alternative options is not appropriate therefore and not to approve the developments at Great Hollands Primary School and Fox Hill Primary School would cause unnecessary delay.

5 SUPPORTING INFORMATION

5.1 The development of children’s centres are seen by the Government as the mechanism through which schools and centres can contribute better to meeting the needs of children and supporting parents, families and carers. In doing so, they will help meet the five key outcomes for children and young people: • Being healthy • Staying safe • Enjoying and achieving • Making a positive contribution • Achieving economic well-being

Approaches to prevention, early identification and intervention will also be strengthened. is charged by SureStart to establish six Children’s Centres in the Borough and to further provide a service for rural areas.

Bracknell Forest vision for Children’s Centres and Extended Schools

5.2 The Council has adopted the following statement as its vision for future development:

The Borough Council is committed to the development of extended provision through both schools and children’s centres as a means of achieving better outcomes for all children in Bracknell Forest. By 2010, all schools in Bracknell Forest will be offering core services and at least six Children’s Centres will be set up, with additional support provided for rural areas in the north of the Borough. Both schools and centres will reflect the needs of their neighbourhoods and provide tailored services to children, families and the wider community. The pattern of demand and provision will be in equilibrium. The schools and centre in each neighbourhood will provide between them a varied range of services – they will not provide the same services, and in some instances schools and centres will act as a signpost to services or specialist support available at a different location.

In order to maximise the use of external funding available to Bracknell Forest, the Children’s Centres programme and the Extended Schools programme are closely linked. The outline Children’s Centres implementation programme, set out in Annex 1 has previously been agreed.

5.3 Depending upon where each Children’s Centre is established, it will be required to offer a particular range of services to local children and their parents. The two proposed children’s centres that are the subject of this report are considered to be sited in the 30% most disadvantaged areas. The range of services that need to be offered at these sites is set out in Annex 2.

Great Hollands Primary School Site (Easthampstead Park Designated Area) PHASE 1

5.4 The Children’s Centre at Great Hollands Primary School will comprise a new build extension onto the vacant space that was created following the amalgamation of the Great Hollands Infant and Junior Schools in 2004. The vacant space comprises former servery, utility and office areas. The location is ideal being within the existing KS1 building adjacent to the school nursery which occupies the modular building in the corner of the site. The accommodation to be provided for the Children’s Centre will include provision of separate dedicated access, a working base for health professionals, contact, meeting and information space for parents, accommodation for a pre school group, and a small kitchen. External works include footpaths, parking and an external play area. The Children’s Centre will be self contained and operated independently of the school, and there will be an internal site sharing agreement with the school to cover the arrangements for and apportionment of the shared building and site running costs. The pre-school group will occupy the building under a lease.

5.5 A site plan is attached as Annex 3.

5.6 The capital costs for this project are estimated at £415,000 with additional fitting out costs of £35,000. This includes the costs of relocating the East Lodge Pre-School. It is anticipated that funding for this will be made available from the capital receipt that the Council will receive from any sale of the East Lodge site at some point in the future.

Fox Hill Primary School Site (Brakenhale School Designated area) PHASE 3

5.7 Following the review of primary school provision in the South Bracknell area, and the consideration of alternative uses for surplus accommodation, the former infants school building on the Fox Hill site has become available for development as the Children’s Centre for the Brakenhale designated area. The site provides a better solution than that previously under consideration (within the Open Learning Centre) and, because of its current availability the Centre can be established quickly.

5.8 Fox Hill Primary School reduced in size from 297 to 210 places from January 2006 following the Review of Primary School places in South Bracknell in 2004/05. This created vacant space in the former KS1 building which will be converted for use as a children’s centre. The accommodation to be provided for the Children’s Centre includes office bases for the Early Years and Childcare teams, and the TASS Pre- School Team, a working base for health professionals (e.g. health visitors, speech & language therapists etc), contact, meeting and information space for parents, accommodation for a pre school group, teaching space and a community cafe. The space is ideal for the purpose being designed for KS1 pupils. External work include additional parking and improved vehicular access, footpaths, fencing and an external play deck with overhead canopy. The KS1 building will be managed by the Children’s Centre who will be the major user, and there will be an internal site sharing agreement with the school to cover the arrangements for and apportionment of the shared building and site running costs. The school will continue to operate the nursery in the KS1 building and will also have access to the hall at agreed times for PE and extra curricular activities. The pre-school group will occupy the building under a lease.

5.9 The Children’s Centre for this area will also maintain a presence in the Open Learning Centre as this will continue to be a location for significant amounts of training and developmental work both with parents and with staff members from Children’s Centres and Early Years Settings within the Borough. The main focus of operation however, will be on the Fox Hill site.

5.10 A site plan is attached as Annex 4.

5.11 No firm estimate has been provided for the capital costs for this project as yet. It is anticipated to be in the region of £315,000 with additional fitting out costs of £50,000. This will be reviewed in the light of more detailed costings when available.

Capital Funds available

5.12 The total allocation to Bracknell Forest for funding capital projects associated with the development of Children’s Centres is £1.1m. The implementation plan establishes the priorities for the location of Children’s Centres. The highest priority for development is attached to the three centres in the ‘30% disadvantage’ category. Providing these centres in a way that enables them to offer the appropriate range of services is essential. Agreeing to these two projects will use around £815k of available funding, leaving less than £300k to develop one more centre in the 30% disadvantaged category and three centres in the 70% category.

5.13 The SureStart funding for Extended Schools capital of £141k and £145k is the only capital available for extended schools projects. This is intended to be used for childcare places and is therefore included in the capital budget for Children’s Centres.

5.14 It is accepted that only limited funds will be available for centres that fall within the ‘70% category’. On the basis of the estimates for Great Hollands and Fox Hill, a similar development for Garth Hill designated area could cost in the region of £400k. This would overspend the capital funding by £100k. Within the Sure Start grant allocations there is additional capital of £340,382 for 2006/07 and £259,413 for 2007/08. The purpose of this funding is to aid the delivery of the Ten Year Strategy and towards supporting Primary Schools to develop extended services. This funding must be used creatively together with the Children’s Centre funding to maximise development. Applying the Sure Start grant for this purpose would result in around £500k capital funding being available to develop the 70% category centres.

Remaining Programme

5.15 The balance for the remaining centres after these two schemes are approved will be £528,444 within the Children’s Centre Capital Fund and the additional SureStart funding as detailed above.

5.16 In addition, some small amounts of capital funding may be attracted from partner agencies to support developments. The NHS has capital funding of approximately £100,000 available to support the provision of childcare places for NHS Staff. This is insufficient for new build provision and so discussions are already taking place about the way in which a partnership can be established to provide dedicated childcare places at the ‘30% disadvantage’ Children’s Centres.

5.17 There is sufficient funding available to meet the needs of the remaining ’30% disadvantage’ areas to the same standard as the proposals contained in this report for Great Hollands and Fox Hill. The priority must be to establish a number of centres that can meet all of the requirements for Children’s Centres well, in those areas of greatest need. The remaining funding will need to be carefully used to meet the needs elsewhere in this initial phase of development, and to supplement this if and when additional funds become available. All of the indications at present are that there will be a further phase of development for this programme.

5.18 A key issue that has not yet been resolved is the re-provision of the Town centre Nursery following the redevelopment of the Town Centre. Funding will be needed from the Council to assist with this in line with undertakings to the New Opportunities Fund.

Sure Start approval process

5.19 The stated aims and objectives of the SureStart Children’s Centre capital process are to:

• Enable the delivery of children’s centres • Assure the SureStart Unit that the capital grant has been spent as Parliament intended. • Enable the capture of information to help the Sure Start Unit focus support on delivery where it is most needed.

5.19 The SureStart approval process has been designed to assess capital projects to ensure they are fit for purpose and offer value for money. Once approved SureStart will monitor the progress of capital projects against key milestones. The approvals process is therefore based on three key stages.

• Stage One is a strategic proposal and implementation plan for each Children’s Centre.

• Stage Two is the release of capital funding for each individual construction project. This involves inputting information on project details, cost and programme onto an online web-based database. Projects are submitted once they have reached RIBA stage D (detailed design, plans & drawings and planning approval). Upon submission individual projects evaluated, which will take up to 4 weeks for a project under £125,000 in value.

• Stage Three is monitoring progress against milestones and signing off funding for agreed stages.

5.20 Construction projects over £125,000 in value will also be subject to a professional architectural assessment by WS Atkins working as consultants to Surestart, to ensure fitness for purpose and value for money, which means the approval process could take anything up to 8 weeks depending on the size and complexity of the project. Following approval capital funding is released upon submission of a quarterly claim form through the web based system.

Capital Project Manager/Officer

5.20 It is the responsibility of the local authority to organise and manage the development of Children’s Centres, working in partnership with SureStart. To facilitate the capital construction work SureStart require the Council to appoint a Capital Project Manager to act as the client for the project delivery team, representing the needs of all the people involved, and to see the projects through from start to finish.

5.21 The Capital Project Manager role is essentially project management "to ensure that what is built meets the project objectives – the needs of the children and their families as well as of the professionals providing services". The role involves liaison with external contact and supporting bodies including SureStart Strategic and Programme Development Officers. The Capital Project Manager role will be provided by the Education Children’s Services & Libraries Planning Property & Contracts Manager.

5.22 It is proposed that the Planning, Property and Contracts Manager is assisted by a new Capital Projects Officer, employed under a part time, short term (two year) contract and whose salary cost will be charged against the capital budgets for the individual projects. The programme is significant and insufficient capacity for project management is available from the existing team. The Capital Projects Officer will be responsible for the client project management of the individual construction projects and for managing the capital approvals process indicated above. The estimated cost of this over two years will be £50k, and this is built into the projected capital expenditure.

Revenue Costs

5.23 The revenue grant available in the first two years for this project amounts to a total of £1.056m (£438k in 2006/7 and £618k in 2007/8). An additional £41,000 was allocated for initial development within 2005/2006, which must be spent by the end of March 2006. An outline business plan has been prepared which details revenue costs for the proposed centres. The costs for each centre vary according to the range of services provided. Again, the emphasis will be on those centres in the ‘30% disadvantage’ category. Initial calculations indicate that the grant funding is sufficient to cover anticipated costs, but more work is required on this as the facilities available at each centre are agreed.

5.24 Funding for 2008/9 and beyond is dependent upon the outcome of the next Spending Review.

6 ADVICE RECEIVED FROM STATUTORY AND OTHER OFFICERS

Borough Solicitor

6.1 The relevant legal requirements are being complied with.

Borough Treasurer

6.2 The financial implications arising from this report are set out in the supporting information. From this it is clear that there are risks attached to agreeing the development of two parts of the programme before a clear indication of total capital and revenue costs have been established.

6.3 As there is no Council funding approved to support this programme, should the cost of further development exceed the available grant funding, their scope and facilities will need to be reduced.

Equality Impact Assessment

6.4 An equality impact assessment will be made at a later stage.

7 CONSULTATION

Principal Groups to be Consulted

7.1 An outside consultant was engaged for four days to consult with parents, carers and children within the Easthampstead Park designated area. All the schools and providers within the area were covered. Further consultations are planned for the Brakenhale area within the Spring term, which will include the following:  Using existing parent consultants in the area, each targeted to speak to a number of people  Direct consultation with parents (4 models)  Attend parents evenings where possible  Parent consultants to engage parents at school / nursery / pre-schools  Set up fixed meetings at some settings (including joint sessions)  Attend settings at various pick up / drop off times and engage parents at the gate whilst waiting, using feedback form for face to face interaction

 Provider meetings which will include representatives from childminders, pre- schools, day nurseries, out of school clubs etc.  A comprehensive community questionnaire will be distributed widely.

7.2 Future consultations will take place in each area where it is proposed that a Children’s Centre should be developed using the model developed for Easthampstead Park as it has proved to be successful in gaining the views of the local community.

Background Papers

Executive Member Decision : Children’s Centres 29/11/05 BFBC A Sure Start Children’s Centre for Every Community DfES Children’s Centres: Funding Allocations for 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 Sure Start Phase 2 Planning Guidance (2006-2008) DfES Children’s Centre Consultation September 05 Emily Hodder-Williams Sure Start Children’s Centres Practice Guidance November 2005 General Sure Start Grant Allocations 2006/07 and 2007/08: allocations December 2005 including additional Sure Start Children’s Centre Revenue Revised February 2006

Contact for further information

Karen Frost, Early Years & Childcare Manager 01344 354024 [email protected]

Martin Gocke, Assistant Director 01344 354009 [email protected]

Chris Taylor, Planning, Property & Contracts Manager 01344 354062 [email protected]

Document Reference

MNG/ Exec Member 66/ 14.03.06

Children’s Centre Information for GoSE Annex 1

Designated Areas Easthampstead Sandhurst Brakenhale Town Centre Crowthorne/ / Park School School School Bullbrook and Little Warfield d/a d/a d./a Priestwood Sandhurst Rural

Name and address of Centre or area Great Hollands Owlsmoor area Fox Hill Family Tree Crowthorne Warfield School School/OLC Nursry Area Area

30% most disadvantaged area/or not Yes No Yes Yes No No

How many children the centre will reach 1300 1200 1350 1100 610 2140 (taken from NHS birth data) New build or refurbishment New build and To be Refurbishment Part of To be To be refurbishment determined Town centre Determined Determined Regeneration On a school site/linked to a school On school site Linked to a On school site To be To be To be school Determined Determined Determined

Estimated capital costs (including Project £415,000 £315,000 £315,000 £355,000 £50,000 + £80,000 Management) Fitting out costs £35,000 £35,000 £50,000 £35,000 £105,000

Childcare on site – how many places 45 48 60 56

Project designation date Jan-07 Sep-07 Sep-06 To be To be To be Determined Determined Determined

Capital Budget £1,028.000 Estimated Capital £1,530,000 Rural Uplift Capital Budget £80,000 Fitting out costs £135,000 General Sure Start Grant Capital £600,000 Contingency £13,000 Total Budget £1,708,000 Estimated costs £1,708,000 Children’s Centre Proposed Implementation Plan

Phase 1

Easthampstead Park designated area Schools PVI

Easthampstead Park East Lodge Playgroup Great Hollands Primary Pavilion Pre-school Birch Hill Primary Hanworth Pre-school The Pines Primary Birch Hill Pre-school Woodenhill Primary South Hill Park Pre-school St. Margaret Clitherow Primary The Teepee Day Nursery

Phase 2

Sandhurst designated area Schools PVI

Sandhurst School Sandhurst Nursery Owlsmoor Primary Lakeside Nursery – RMAS College Town Infants Owlsmoor Pre-school Uplands Primary College Town Montessori Carousel Nursery Cherrytown Day Nursery Stepping Stones Playgroup?

Phase 3

Brakenhale designated area Schools PVI

Brakenhale School Harmanswater Pre-school Rectory Lane Nursery Crown Wood Primary Sports Centre Pre-school Fox Hill Primary St. Michael’s Pre-school Harmanswater Primary Braken Bears Day Nursery Wildridings Primary Bramleywood Day Nursery St. Michael’s Easthampstead Teddies Day Nursery

Phase 4

Town Centre, Bullbrook and Priestwood Schools PVI Family Tree Day Nursery Garth Hill School Dolphin Day Nursery Holly Spring Infants Garth Under 5s Sandy Lane School College Nursery Meadowvale School Mortarboard Nursery St. Joseph’s School Plus Three Martins Heron Kennel Lane School St Josephs Pre-school

Phase 5

Crowthorne area Schools PVI

Edgbarrow School Crowthorne Pre-school Crowthorne C of E School The Ark Pre-school Broadmoor Primary Little Red House Nursery –Primary Steps New Scotland Hill Primary St. Michael’s Sandhurst Little Sandhurst Nursery

Phase 6

Warfield area/ Binfield area Schools PVI

Warfield Primary Building Blocks Pre-school Whitegrove Primary Busy Bees Montessori? Binfield Primary Possums at Warfield Plus Three Newell Green PAWS Binfield Pre-school Newbold School Plus Three Farley Wood Children’s House Day Nursery

Rural Uplift area – Ascot/Winkfield designated area Schools PVI

Ascot Heath Infants Haileybury School Cranbourne Primary Meadowbrook Montessori School Winkfield St. Mary’s Primary Ascot and Cranbourne Pre-school ABC Pre-school Chavey Down Nurseries Little Acorns Montessori Ascot Day Nursery Old School Day Nursery Winkfield Montessori

Annex 2

Services to be offered by children’s centres

Taken from Sure Start Guidance – ‘A Children’s Centre for Every Community’, 22 July 2005.

These following services must be offered in the 30% most disadvantaged areas (super output areas):

Early years provision

• Integrated early learning and childcare for babies and children until they are five years old. • Childcare suitable for working parents/carers for a minimum of 5 days a week, 48 weeks a year,10 hours a day. • Childcare places will be open to all, with a priority around disadvantaged families, but not just families in the immediate area (admission and fee policies will be determined locally). • Support for childminders. • Early identification of children with special needs and disabilities with inclusive services and support for their families. • Links to local schools (extended schools and Healthy Schools) and out-of-school activities (holiday play schemes, before/after-school play and learning).

Family support and parental outreach

• Visits to all families in the catchment area within two months of the child’s birth (through the Child Health Promotion Programme or agreed local arrangements). • Information for parents/carers about the range of family support services and activities available in the area. • Support and advice on parenting including support at significant transition points for the family (e.g. pre birth, early days, settling into childcare). • Access to specialist, targeted services for those families which need them eg support for parents/carers of disabled children. • Activities which increase parents/carers' understanding of their child's development. • Specific strategies and activities which increase the involvement of fathers.

Child and family health services

• Antenatal advice and support for parents/carers. • Child Health Promotion Programme. • Information and guidance on breast feeding, hygiene, nutrition and safety. • Promoting positive mental health and emotional wellbeing, including identification, support and care for those suffering from maternal depression, antenatally and postnatally. • Speech and language and other specialist support. • Support for healthy lifestyles. • Help in stopping smoking.

Parental involvement

• Consultation and information sharing with parents/carers, including fathers, on what services are needed, and systems to get user feedback on services.

• Ongoing arrangements in place to ensure parents/carers have a voice e.g. parents’ forums. Links with Jobcentre Plus

• Centres will link with Jobcentre Plus to encourage and support parents/carers who wish to consider training and employment

Other services which may be provided

Sure Start Children’s Centres may also offer parents/carers help with accessing training, work, advice and information and may well offer a range of other services, although funding for these services may need to be accessed from other sources. Services could include : • effective links with further and higher education institutions, and local training providers • training for parents/carers, including English as an Additional Language where relevant, Basic Skills, or parenting classes • specialist services for disabled children • benefits advice, including maternity benefits • childcare and other services for older children eg siblings of families receiving services. • adult relationship support • contact centres • toy libraries • support for delivery of Bookstart baby bags, toddler bags and 'My Treasure Boxes'

Services in children’s centres in the 70% more advantaged areas

Centres will provide a range of other services to meet local need and parental choice. Priority must be given to identifying and reaching out to disadvantaged or vulnerable families. All children and families who are disadvantaged, vulnerable or who have special needs should have access to the full range of integrated services they need. This will often be on site, but may also include signposting to appropriate or specialist support. In some areas this might require the provision of local outreach services near to small pockets of disadvantaged areas. The intensity of services offered by children's centres in the 70% more advantaged areas should vary according to the level of disadvantage in that area. For example, children's centres in areas close in terms of deprivation to the 30% most deprived areas would be expected to deliver children's centres with a similar, intensive level of services.

Although local authorities will have flexibility in which services they need to provide to meet local need, all centres will have to provide a minimum range of services including:

• the offer of appropriate support and outreach services to parents/carers and children who have been identified as in need of them

• information and advice to parents/carers on a range of subjects including: local childcare, looking after babies and young children and local early years provision (childcare and early learning) education services for three- and four-year olds

• support to childminders via a coordinated network, but also to other childminders in the area, for example by providing training, loan of toys and equipment and drop-in sessions

• drop-in sessions and other activities for children and parent/carers at the centre, including: parent groups, play groups, adult education

• links to Jobcentre Plus services, to support and encourage labour market participation, in order to help combat poverty. The nature of these will, however, be negotiated locally in light of circumstances and community requirements

In all areas parents/carers will have access to antenatal care and support, and on the birth of their child receive home visits from their midwife and health visitor. It is important, therefore, that all centres link with local midwives and health visitors who, depending on local needs, will be based in the centre or operate some sessions from it, and will:

• visit families with new born babies in the area within the first two months of their baby’s life with information about services and support

• provide access to the Child Health Promotion Programme

• provide information and guidance on breastfeeding, nutrition, hygiene and safety, thus reducing the number of children aged 0-3 admitted to hospital

• provide antenatal advice and support to all pregnant women and their families in the area

• encourage parents who smoke to attend smoking cessation clinics

• promote opportunities for physical activity from an early age

• identify children with special needs and disabilities and address their needs

• identify particularly disadvantaged families so that the centre can offer appropriate support

It is important that through children’s trust arrangements local agreement is reached on the provision of health services to meet local needs which avoids duplication of services.

Sure Start Children’s Centres in all rural areas

The Government recognises that children's centres operating in rural areas are likely to need greater flexibility than those that operate in urban areas. Given the nature of rural areas – dispersed communities often with small numbers of children under five years old – the same services may need to be replicated for small groups of families in convenient local venues. Full use should be made of community facilities such as school premises, parish churches and community centres.

Local authorities will be expected to develop more flexible models of childcare for centres in rural areas which meet the needs of local communities. A supported network of childminders may offer a suitable alternative to centre based care, but the centre should provide access to training, a base where they can share experience and a supply of age- appropriate learning materials and opportunities for children to interact in groups, especially in the Foundation Stage.

Other issues local authorities may take into account include:

• using mobile facilities to take both services and equipment to more remote communities e.g. health visitors and family support workers could travel with a play bus to offer drop-in advice to parents/carers • using technology such as internet or videophone communication to provide advice and consultancy support by various specialists • focusing on delivering a few services well rather than attempting to deliver a wide range of services and spread resources thinly eg prioritising: - antenatal and postnatal care for mothers and babies - special needs support - parenting advice • linking services for under-fives and their families with services provided for older children; this may involve the dual use of both premises and of staff Annex 3

Great Hollands Site Plan

Annex 4 Fox Hill Site Plan