In December 2005 members of the New Deal Education Theme Group expressed concern at the decisions to stop funding Bookstart, the Community Language Schools, and the two main community projects tackling school exclusions: Cellar Space and Catch the Drift.
Local residents, community providers, school managers and education officers all expressed concern at the loss of these projects, and called for New Deal to continue supporting them.
Their concerns are to be brought to the attention of the Partnership Board in a paper signed by Education Theme Chair Zohra Choudhry. The paper points out that these projects are successfully addressing gaps in provision that were identified by the Board itself in October – school exclusions, childcare provision, and support for children and young people. They are well-run community projects providing services that are desperately needed – and to stop funding them now is to risk losing the local expertise and committed volunteer management in which New Deal has been investing over the last five years.
Zohra explained to the Messenger:
“New Deal is supposed to be promoting partnership with the community. I’d like to see the Partnership Board ensure continuity for these projects by taking them forward within the citywide Children and Young People’s Plan, but they can’t do that without the input of the voluntary and community sector. Community involvement is absolutely vital for the continued success of all these initiatives.”
The Bookstart project requires only £14,000 per year from New Deal, and its amber light was greeted with widespread dismay. One disappointed resident, Karen Butcher, wrote to the Messenger:
“I was saddened to read in the December Messenger that Burngreave Bookstart will probably lose its New Deal funding in March.
“For me and my two girls, Bookstart has been instrumental in getting us to the local library and taking courses that have been beneficial to me and for my parental skills.
“Lilah got a Bookstart pack when she was only three months old. It contained two free books, information about book clubs and a library card.
“Julia also gives out Bookstart packs in clinics, nurseries, playgroups and schools. She has become a friend to so many mums and children over the past five years and is now an important member of our community.
“If we lose Burngreave Bookstart, we will lose part of our children’s education.”
The Community Language Schools received £59,000 per year from New Deal – and just £24,000 would cover a year’s tutor costs and enable the Project to continue teaching while other funds are sought. Manager Jane O’Brien, told the Messenger about the unique opportunities the schools have brought to Burngreave residents.
“There are things we don’t yet have in Burngreave, but language skills is something we have a wealth of, and we should build on what we already have.
“Three Community Language Schools have developed and benefited from New Deal over the last three years.They have worked closely with mainstream schools as well as teaching Somali, Arabic and Urdu languages in their own cultural contexts.
“The schools will be seriously weakened by the sudden funding loss, and this project is not something that can easily find funding from other sources. For example, the Learning Skills Council won’t fund education projects that they believe can be delivered in schools and colleges, but many schools don’t yet have staff able to provide teaching in these languages.
“The Community Language Schools have been able to support residents to become qualified tutors, and some of these tutors are just starting to do work in schools such as Whiteways, Byron Wood and Firshill. We need to continue supporting community language tutors if community languages are to become a part of mainstream education.
“We were hoping to help children gain qualifications in languages in the coming years, so that their skills can be recognised and accredited.There are real job opportunities for those with bilingual and multilingual skills, and yet the economic importance of investing in community languages is being completely overlooked.”
There is also utter bewilderment at the end of funding for the two exclusion projects managed locally, the Cellar Space and Catch the Drift. This issue is of particular concern in Burngreave [see pages 8–9], and these long-running projects are widely praised and trusted for their excellent work. Mark Lavender from the Cellar Space, a project that was receiving £40,000 per year from New Deal, told the Messenger:
“The Cellar Space has been running for over ten years with support for many years from the Joseph Rank Trust – this funding is now coming to an end.The in kind support we received from the LEA (a seconded worker) is being reduced significantly, and our New Deal funding runs out in March, so the project is particularly vulnerable at the moment. We’ve been having difficulties finding replacement funding, and now time is running out.
“Over the years we have developed, and continue to build, excellent relationships with local schools helping young people that many consider the most challenging, to remain in education. I just don’t understand why New Deal has chosen to stop supporting the project now.”