Bexhill nursery praised for ‘outstanding’ service

A county council-run nursery, which faces closure, has been rated as ‘outstanding’ by inspectors.
Pictured are campaigners last summer fighting to save two nurseries handing in a petition to the children's centre in Egerton Road, Bexhill, where Cygnets is located. SUS-190723-164009001Pictured are campaigners last summer fighting to save two nurseries handing in a petition to the children's centre in Egerton Road, Bexhill, where Cygnets is located. SUS-190723-164009001
Pictured are campaigners last summer fighting to save two nurseries handing in a petition to the children's centre in Egerton Road, Bexhill, where Cygnets is located. SUS-190723-164009001

Cygnets in Bexhill, located in Egerton Park Children’s Centre, was praised by Ofsted for its quality of education, children’s behaviour and for its leadership and management.

The Ofsted report said: “Staff are particularly skilful and use every opportunity to engage enthusiastically with the children. They have an excellent understanding of each child’s individual needs and provide activities which consistently challenge and build on previous learning.

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“Managers and staff place children’s well-being at the centre of their practice. Staff consistently model respect and develop caring and positive relationships with the children.”

As part of a raft of measures designed to cut £2.6m from the county council’s early help budget, the authority is ending its funding of Cygnets and Rainbow child care centres.

Cllr Christine Bayliss, Rother district councillor for Bexhill Central Ward, said: “The Cygnets Ofsted report is one of the very best I’ve ever read about a nursery school. When you read ‘Children are extremely happy and enjoy their learning in this wonderful setting’ it makes me so angry the county council is going to close the nursery down, especially when Cygnets serves an area where families need additional support and women need ready access to child care so that they can work.”

An East Sussex County Council spokesman said: “We were delighted to hear that Ofsted rated Cygnets Nursery ‘outstanding’, which is welcome recognition of the hard work and effort of all staff members.

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“An email was sent to all the staff to congratulate them. This news has been shared with parents of all children currently attending the setting.

“Last year, following an extensive review of early help services, the council took the decision to no longer subsidise Cygnets Nursery from September 2020.

“The extension of the service until September 2020 was agreed in order to provide stability and certainty for families for a full school year. The decision to close was not related to the quality of the provision, but was part of a strategy to ensure limited funds were focussed on safeguarding the most vulnerable children and families.

“We continue to work with providers in the area to ensure, where reasonably practicable, that there are sufficient nursery places in the Bexhill area, as we do across the rest of the county.”

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