Out of school
Sir: Your readers will be interested to know that following Alexandra Artley's excellent article on out of school provision (Indoors and alone', 4 February), the Lord Chancellor has since agreed to recon- sider the government's proposed amend- ment to remove over-fives — and therefore this type of daycare — from the protective legislation of the Nurseries and Childmin- ders Regulations Act. In the debate in the House of Lords this week at the Report Stage of the Children Bill many of the peers expressed concern over the proposed amendment and the effect it could have on the protection of standards of after-school and holiday care schemes and the safety of young children.
LETTERS
Indeed, Alexandra Artley's article was quoted in support of their arguments. Although the Children Bill as it stands recommends that local authorities should provide out of school provision for over- fives as 'they consider appropriate', with- out the additional protection of legislation Within the Nurseries and Childminders Regulation Act now being revised as part of the Bill, local authorities will not have a duty to register or maintain standards in such provision. We therefore welcome the Lord Chancellor's commitment to think again, and are recommending that not only should young children, certainly up to the age of eight if not beyond, stay within existing legislation, but that a Statutory Code of Practice be adopted to give guidelines on standards. Many thanks to The Spectator for its help in this matter. TOM Shea
Chairperson, National Out of School Alliance Ltd, Oxford House, Derbyshire Street,
London E2
Previous page
