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Islington Tribune - by ROISIN GADELRAB
Published: 25 July 2008

Andover parents Gulfa, Ade King, Victoria McLarty and Shiri Shalmy

Snag hits showpiece nursery opening

‘Complete mess’ claim as Ofsted inspector rules only ground floor is ready to be used

AN ENTIRE floor of a nursery due to open in September will remain closed after an education inspector expressed concern about the building, the Tribune can reveal.
The news comes after parents complained about the lack of open space and the “cramped balcony” children will play on at the new Holloway Mitford Children’s Centre in Hornsey Road, Holloway.
According to sources close to the children’s centre, Ofsted inspectors visiting the new building on Friday, found so many faults they will have to return to continue the inspection.
Labour’s shadow education spokesman Councillor Richard Watts said: “This just confirms the complete mess the council has made of nursery provision in Tollington and Finsbury Park.”
Parents of children at Andover nursery in Finsbury Park, who are being forced to transfer their children to the Mitford centre, have campaigned against the move.
Cllr Watts said: “They should postpone the closure of Andover until this is sorted out. I repeat my call to [education chief] Cllr Ursula Woolley to apologise to parents for the appalling way this has been handled.”
He added: “The closure of Andover was done on the premise the new centre would be open and now we hear there’s going to be a delay. Parents have every right to feel let down.”
Parents hope the problems at Mitford nursery will force Cllr Woolley to keep Andover open.
Lib Dem council leader James Kempton said: “It’s wrong to scaremonger and worry parents. We invited an Ofsted inspector to Mitford Holloway to check on anything more we needed to do before opening. They confirmed the ground floor is ready to be used as a nursery and children over three will start making use of the excellent facilities in September. This gives staff the chance to settle children in stages, focusing on the three and four-year-olds first.
“They agreed there is still some work that needs to be done on the first floor, which will be completed by October when the under-threes move in. We are on track for the new nursery to be fully functioning by November.”
An Ofsted spokeswoman said: “There was a registration visit, which any new establishment has, and that included an inspection. Ofsted has not registered the building.
“The nursery can’t be opened or regulated by Ofsted until it has been registered.”
Parents had hoped plans for the Andover closure would reviewed when they came before a Town Hall scrutiny committee last Thursday. But Lib Dem chairwoman Councillor Meral Ece used her casting vote to prevent the closure being sent back to the executive for reconsideration.
Cllr Woolley said of Andover: “The nursery certainly provides good-quality care but it’s not a children’s centre. It doesn’t provide the range of services a children’s centre does.”
Shiri Shalmy, who has a child at Andover, fears her son will jump over the first-floor balcony play area at Mitford.
She said: “The Andover parents’ group has still not been defeated by the council’s dismissive and arrogant attitude.
“We want to make sure Islington officers and councillors are accountable for their mismanagement of this whole situation, even more clearly evident now with the embarrassing failure of Mitford.”

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