The Jersey Child Care Trust (JCCT) in conjunction with the Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning, Deputy Rob Ward are opening a new nursery provision for 2-3 year olds with additional needs at d’Auvergne school.
The provision is one of a number of initiatives taking place to support the Minister’s ambition to extend the nursery and childcare provision for children aged 2-3, within the Government’s Common Strategic Policy (CSP) 2024-2026.
The nursery will open in October and is a pilot scheme; the opportunity to open more 2-3 provisions within Government primary schools are being explored.
Deputy Ward said, “I’m delighted that we are able to offer this provision to parents and families in the coming weeks. It is the first step, and one of a number of possible options we’re looking at to achieve the universal offer for 2- to 3-year-olds.
“I committed to these pilots when I became Minister, as part of this Government’s Common Strategic Policy, and reaching this point is the culmination of a lot of hard work.
“I’d like to thank the Jersey Child Care Trust and the d’Auvergne leadership team for creating this provision at such pace.”
Headteacher of d’Auvergne, Sam Cooper said, “This marks an exciting new chapter for the school and makes clear sense to use free space in primary schools to expand our nursery provision. We’re very happy to support the pilot in any way we can and look forward to welcoming more children into our wider school community”.
The provision will be known as ‘Play and Learn at d’Auvergne’ and will include the children’s families too, by inviting them to join in with the Play and Learn sessions once a week.
Fiona Vacher, Executive Director of JCCT said, “We know the life changing impact that a good quality, early years’ experience has on children and particularly those with developmental or financial need.
“When the Minister for Education approached us, we knew we had to prioritise creating ‘Play and Learn at d’Auvergne’ as we want to make sure that every child has access to the nurture, care and learning they need to thrive.”
