No clowning as Pebsham conjures up a Children's Centre

FALLING school rolls are not a challenge '“ they are an opportunity.

Spare space at Pebsham Community Primary School has added a new dimension to the range of services offered to the community.

Until he took on the vice-chairmanship of the county council in April, Cllr Rupert Simmons held the cabinet portfolio for young people's services.

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He was so impressed by what has been achieved at Pebsham that last Thursday he was at the school as vice-chairman to enjoy performing a ceremony.

In cutting a symbolic ribbon across the door he officially opened Pebsham Children's Centre.

Once, Pebsham School had more than 250 children on its roll. Now there are 230.

Headteacher Pat Strickson could not imagine a classroom being allowed to stand idle.

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Now transformed, from September, it will be operating as Rother Children's Centres' newest asset.

Members of the School Council were on hand to show guests who included ward Rother member Cllr Charles Clark, Janet Smithson representing the Bexhill Consortium and, most importantly, mothers with young children, the new facilities.

The Children's Centre is integrated into the school but is fully self-contained. It has f disabled access, a disabled toilet, two new toilets, baby-changing facilities and its own kitchen.

There is play equipment inside and a secure play area outside.

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It will operate in partnership with the school, with the adjoining nursery and with nearby Glyne Gap special needs school.

For Janet Smithson and the Bexhill Consortium, it is this newest example of burgeoning partnership working which is among the finest features of the new children's centre.

For Rother Children's Centres manager Fay Mitchell the new centre has endless possibilities - from helping families with special needs to assisting in the development of parenting skills, from outreach work in the community to support in times of domestic crisis.

The centre will also support people seeking funding for nursery places.

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Fay said: "The good thing about the location here is that we are near to the school, to the nursery and to Glyne Gap School and we are hoping to do work with them."

Cllr Simmons said schools like Pebsham were doing notably well.

But the county council believed that one of the keys to raising GCSE standards was in the pre-school years.

Children's Centres were one of the ways of boosting children's communication skills. By joining activities with other children and developing these skills they looked forward to their first days in regular education.

Entertaining children and adults alike with tricks, jokes and patter was Charlie the Clown.

But even he couldn't conjure a better trick than to create a children's centre out of a redundant classroom.