So what is a Children's Centre? Children's Centres provide multi-agency services that are flexible and meet the needs of young children and their families.
The core offer includes integrated early learning, care, family support, health services, outreach services to children and families not attending the centre and access to training and employment advice.
Children's Centres are models of multi-agency and partnership working. At the heart of the centre is high quality learning and access to full day-care for children.
The building work on the new Children's Centre at Lowther Primary School is now complete. At the heart of the building is the new Nursery and Reception classrooms with additional rooms for the North Barnes Children's Centre.
Many people are confused by the name Children's Centre, especially when services are offered from more than one building. In North Barnes we are very lucky to have lots of Partners on board.
For example, Castelnau Centre Project and Lowther School already work together to provide services that will be found in the Children's Centre.
North Barnes Children's Centre was commissioned to replace the ageing nursery building and merge with the reception class to form a foundation stage learning facility.
At the same time the Children's Centre will upgrade the entrance to the school and create a wealth of community facilities that will strengthen the schools existing local connections.
The school is already an important part of the local community and the new Children's Centre is seen very much as a community building and will form an important part of the social context of the neighbourhood.
The Children's Centre will benefit not only the children that attend it, but also parents and local residents alike.
The area of North Bames that Lowther School serves has a high proportion of children receiving free school meals, and those whose first language is not English.
It is the aim of the school to help reduce dependency and the facilities that the Children's Centre will offer will help to achieve this as well as raising the profile, both of the school and the surrounding area.
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