This week we were learning Baa Baa Black Sheep………….

………and had lots of fun with glue,cotton wool and wool.

Over the next few months we’ll be looking at the other rhymes including Humpty Dumpty, Twinkle Twinkle and many more. All we ask is that you encourage the children to learn them by singing at home with them. It’s great fun and a lovely way to help with their speech development.

They flew by but we had lots of fun at the Centre………..

Our play & learn sessions were very popular as always – lots of parents commented on the great ideas we come up with but if you have any please let us know – the cards above where Vesna’s ideas and she very kindly came to the session and helped us to make them.

We also had a session run by the local company Kreative Kids…………

which was so popular that we have booked them again to come in during the summer holidays – so please contact us nearer the time for more details.

Hope you all had a lovely holiday and enjoy the sunshine – we’ll see you soon at one of our sessions hopefully

We have already announced plans for how a Conservative Government will strengthen Sure Start through the reintroduction of a universal Sure Start based Health Visitor service. International evidence shows that when parents are supported by health professionals such as health visitors, their children are more like to be healthy, do well at school, find better jobs and stay out of crime. The money currently set aside for ‘outreach workers’ will instead be used to provide an additional 4,200 trained Sure Start health visitors. This will give parents support in the crucial early years of their child’s life. 

In these difficult economic times we need Sure Start to be more effective, particularly in reaching out to families who may be most in need of the support it offers. The Government’s main objective for Sure Start was to close the gap in achievement between children from poor and more affluent families. An objective it has sadly failed to achieve despite spending £17 billion on early years support over the past decade.

The National Audit Office found that, despite the Government spending nearly £9 billion on Sure Start since 1999, only a third of Sure Start Children’s Centres had proactively sought hard-to-reach families. The Government have failed to close the gap between the rich and poor at a very young age. We have seen a decline in the reading, writing and mathematical achievements of six year olds from the most deprived communities. Nearly 3,000 fewer six year olds from the most deprived communities achieve level 2 or above in Key Stage 1 mathematics today than they did in 2005 and the number of six year olds from the most disadvantaged communities achieving the national standard in writing has dropped by 18% since 1997. 

We believe that our plans for Sure Start will start to address these worrying problems and help centres up and down the country in the work they are doing to give children the best start in life. 

The Government is guilty of spreading scare stories about Conservatives cutting Sure Start. It is shameful that parents and Sure Start staff are being worried and misled in this way. Sure Start continues to have a central role to play in our plans to strengthen families and help make Britain one of the most family friendly countries in the world.

Raising children can be puzzling at times, but puzzles have solutions -  

The Parenting Puzzle helps to provide them.

The Parenting Puzzle Nurturing Programme is a 10 week course that encourages

and supports parents & carers to enjoy bringing up children of all ages and to get the best out of family life.

It offers positive, practical ways of guiding children so they learn to handle both their feelings and their behaviour.  

The sessions are informal, fun and a great confidence booster.

A new course is starting on Wednesday 21^st April 2010

The sessions run from 9.30am until 11.30am

Comments from parents who have attended the course -

Some of the sessions that we covered I found very interesting and one in particular was aimed at family time and listening.  I found that I didn’t really listen to my children and realized that is why I was probably shouting a lot as they were doing the same to me. I cant say it has been a miracle cure but I now more aware of listening to my children, sometimes it is painful especially my 3 year old but they seem happier in the long run as I am giving them my attention.

I thought the Parenting Puzzle was really useful and enjoyable and full of lots of useful tips and advice.  I also thought it was a great opportunity to reflect on how you and your family are doing and what things you would like to do more of and what things you would like to change.  It also reminded me not to get so caught up in the day-to-day chores of family life that you lose sight of having fun with your children!   

If you would like more information or to book a place please contact

Caroline Atkins: 01276 473093 or email caroline@bagshot.surrey.sch.uk

To support this aim it is  intended that parents with stories of how the centres have helped them and their children, go on the new website and pledge their support for the programme and share their experiences.

4Children have set up a new Sure Start All Parliamentary Group and intend to use families experiences and views
to keep children’s centres high on  the politicians’ agenda.

Wednesday 10th February – 2pm

She will be here during our stay & play session so please pop along.

It’s a great way to introduce your child to the joy of books and to find out more about the services available at your local libraries.

All parents/carers and children are welcome so please pop in for a coffee and a chat, there is a selection of our literature there so if you don’t get a chance to get to the Centre you can go there instead.

Hope to see you down there soon.

They will now be visiting on Wednesday 24th Feb during our Stay & Play session – 1.30pm til 3pm

Please pop in and see them if you have any questions – no appointment is necessary