Deputy Mayor of London visits Newham nursery

Cllr Jane Lofthouse, Deputy Mayor of London Joanne McCartney, Cllr Julianne Marriott visit children at Kool Kidze St. Barnabas Preschool in Manor Park.

London Deputy Mayor for Education and Childcare Joanne McCartney visited children and staff at the Kool Kidze St. Barnabas Preschool in Manor Park this week, to highlight the vital network of support it provides to families and schools.

Councillor Julianne Marriott, Lead Member for Education and Councillor Jane Lofthouse, Deputy Member for Education at Newham council joined the Mayor on Tuesday 10 March at the nursery in Manor Park. 

The Deputy Mayor and councillors took part in a group discussion with staff, met with parents, and saw the children’s song time. The nursery currently has 50 children on its register, with 26 two year olds attending through a funded place.

Kool Kidze nursery is a key part of the Working Together Hub – one of three Early Years Hubs established by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, to improve the quality and take up of free early education places – particularly for the capital’s most disadvantaged children.

Councillor Julianne Marriott, Cabinet Member for Education said: “We are delighted that the Deputy Mayor of London, Joanne McCartney, has visited here today and worked so closely with the council. The team at Kool Kidze have worked hard to develop the work of the hub and the quality of their nursery. 

“Kool Kidze is one of 100 private nurseries working with the Mayor’s Early Years Hub in Newham and it is benefitting greatly. The hub is all about improving the life chances of young children in Newham and ensuring that high quality early education helps children to get the best possible start in life. This means that the children here have lots of fun, learn new things every day and the nursery also provides extra help for children with special needs and disabilities.” 

The Working Together Hub brings together early education providers in Newham to improve collaboration, professional development of staff and work with families to increase the take up of funded places for two year olds. 

Through the hub, Kool Kidze has benefitted from improved links with other local early years providers, training opportunities for staff and the support of a mentor from a local nursery school.

Deputy Mayor for Education and Childcare, Joanne McCartney said: “It is crucial that the youngest members of our city are given the opportunities they need to succeed from an early age. Everyone at Kool Kidze should be proud of their dedication to expanding early years’ provision for families in Newham, and I urge other nurseries to follow their example.”

Published: 11 Mar 2020