Slough Children’s Centres Consultation

Closed 17 Mar 2023

Opened 3 Feb 2023

Contact

childrens.centres@slough.gov.uk

Overview

What are Children’s Centres? 

Children’s Centres in Slough are to help provide the best start for under 5’s and their parents in Slough.   

This is done by improving:

  • child development and school readiness
  • parenting aspirations and parenting skills
  • child and family health and life chances

Why do Slough Borough Council need to make changes? 

Following a review of Children’s Centres, Slough Borough Council would now like to make changes to:

  • strengthen our early years and childcare services
  • make sure these are the right services needed by the people of Slough
  • have services where there is a need for them in Slough
  • check the Children’s Centres are resourced correctly

What does the new provision for Slough Children’s Centres look like? 

The future provision of Children’s Centre services will include:

  1. Children’s Centre Family Support 
    • Working in partnership with other family support services to help people to access any support needed
  2. Children’s Centre Outreach into communities
    • Working in partnership with other family support services to help people to access any support needed
  3. Children’s Centre Coordination 
    • Assessing need and working with early childhood partners to help us to deliver against families and children’s needs
    • Developing an early childhood partnership
    • Deliver early years and childcare through various community locations

In summary, Slough Borough Council is proposing to close some of its Children’s Centres to develop a much broader mix of options with both the private, voluntary, and independent sectors. This will provide more choice.

Which options for change are Slough Borough Council considering? 

Current provision is delivered across the map of Slough as shown below.

A range of options have been produced in response to review findings. They are summarised below. 

Current Children’s Centre location

How childcare and early years provision changes with each proposed option.

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Chalvey Grove 

Yes

Yes

Yes

Elliman Avenue 

No

No

No

Monksfield Way 

No

No

No

Orchard Avenue 

No

No

No

Penn Road 

No

No

No

Romsey Close 

Yes

No

No

St Andrew’s Way 

No

No

No

Vicarage Way 

No

No

No

Wexham Road 

No

No

No

Yew Tree Road 

Yes

Yes

No

Option 1 (Recommended option):

To keep three Children’s Centres out of the current ten Children’s Centres at Penn Road, Chalvey Grove and Romsey Close.  

This option would include early education and childcare services from Chalvey Grove, Romsey Close and Yew Tree Road.  

Option 1 is the recommended option for Slough Borough Council.

Option 2: 

To keep two Children’s Centres out of the current ten Children’s Centres at Penn Road and Chalvey Grove. This option would include the maintenance of directly delivered early education and childcare from Chalvey Grove. Early education and childcare would also continue through Yew Tree Road. 

Option 3: 

To keep only one Children’s Centre at Chalvey Grove, maintaining direct delivery of early education and childcare.  

When will the consultation begin and end? 

The consultation will start on Friday 3rd February 2023 and will end on Friday 17th March 2023. 

How can you get involved in this consultation? 

You can:

  • Complete this online questionnaire
  • Fill in the paper questionnaire, which is available from all Children’s Centres during the six weeks consultation period or you can request a copy by emailing childrens.centres@slough.gov.uk
  • Attend a consultation focus group where questions and views can be   recorded

The table below shows the times and dates of the consultation focus groups for service users & residents and partners.

Service Users and Residents

Date / Time

Activity

Location

Address

Thursday 9th February

10am – 11:30am

Service users and residents focus group

Penn Road Children’s Centre

Penn Wood School, Penn Road, SL2 1PG

Monday 6th March

12pm – 2pm

Service users and residents focus group

Vicarage Way Children’s Centre

Vicarage Way, Colnbrook, SL3 0JY

Wednesday 15th March

4pm – 6pm

Service users and residents focus group

Yew Tree Road Children’s Centre

 

St Marys School, Yew Tree Road, SL1 2AR

Partners

Date / Time

Activity

Location

Address

Monday 6th February

6:30pm – 8pm

Private and independent sector early years providers focus group

Online

Teams

Monday 20th February

9:30am – 11am

Key schools partners focus group

Online

Teams

Tuesday 21st February

10am – 11:30am

Key health and wellbeing partners focus group

Chalvey Grove Children’s Centre

Montem School, Chalvey Grove, SL1 2TE

Wednesday 1st March

10am – 11:30am

Voluntary sector partners and adult learning focus group

Monksfield Way Children’s Centre

Monksfield Way, Britwell, SL2 1QX

Thursday 9th March

10am – 11:30am

Early years providers PVI, nursery class, reception schools focus group

Romsey Close Children’s Centre

Romsey Close, Sl3 8PE

Where can I find more information? 

You can find further information about the changes we propose to make to Children’s Centres online in the Cabinet Report here.

When will any final decisions be made about any agreed change? 

After the consultation period ends, proposals will be submitted to councillors for final recommendations. A final report will be provided for Slough Borough Council to review.

What happens next

This consultation has now closed.

Proposals will be submitted to councillors for final recommendations. A final report will be provided for Slough Borough Council to review.

Events

Audiences

  • Anyone from any background

Interests

  • Early Years
  • Families