SYCT have closed the nursery, the last holiday provision was Summer 2023, after school club was closed before covid & only recently reopened (inconsistently) plus several Monday stay & play sessions have been closed. SYCT get over £600k in mainly government grants to provide this
SYCT staff should be implementing the community feedback provided at your open house event in April (which you still haven’t acted upon months later, therefore wasting the communities time) instead of painting walls…
We will be sad to lose @BellRibeiroAddy due to boundary changes at the next GE; she has been a fantastic advocate+immediately grasped the issues at hand.We look forward to engaging with the candidates for the new constituency on this @SteveReedMP@anthonyboutall@ClaireBonham
A soulless, empty Hut in Streatham Vale Park today - this space used to be filled with children, toys, snacks & activities. Now, hardly any attendees at stay & play paid for by @BH_StartForLife - more evidence of @StreathamSYCT not making good use of a @lambeth_council building
Time to run services that the community has asked for (especially when you’re occupying council owned buildings) rather than encouraging children to make and eat junk food. What are you doing about your consultation results?
Sprigs kids were always out in all weathers, but to see the nursery completely empty on a gorgeous May morning such as this is particularly upsetting.
This sight will be the norm if @StreathamSYCT keeps full control of the space as it has now.
@anthonyboutall Sprigs must have supported 150+ children since opening. Staying true to a play ethos, forest school approaches were used to help these young minds flourish. One of the things I loved was the diversity of culture & backgrounds & disadvantage isn't always simply economical.
@PureLifeLo98639@anthonyboutall You have ignored other contributors to SYCT’s managed decline of the nursery. Even with more Gov funds, SYCT leadership have said they do not want to run a nursery. At least they recognised at their open house event that a privately run nursery could be run from the Hut instead.
The Gov funding argument is a scapegoat - here is the real reason that @SaveSprigLudens was on a managed decline by SYCT leadership. Even if it was an argument, how does this excuse closing the nursery with no notice leaving 20+ families with no childcare and owed money?
@PureLifeLo98639@anthonyboutall It’s easy to blame it on just gov funding, but SYCT pay no rent for the building, have done no public proactive fundraising in the last year, have not advertised the nursery & won’t share their financials to prove the nursery is at a deficit.
Take a look at the thread if you want to see an anonymous account set up in March (guesses who it might be?) attempting to defend SYCT’s actions - weak arguments with no receipts to back it up.
@InvestigateSYCT@anthonyboutall But more importantly, trusts and foundations generally don't support projects unless a majority of children are eligible for EYPP. Why would they? Nurseries are statutory provision and therefore government responsibility.
@PureLifeLo98639@anthonyboutall Do you work for SYCT by any chance? You seem to know a lot about their business model - why didn’t you have the guts to say this to the residents & parents who attended the open house on Saturday?
@PureLifeLo98639@anthonyboutall It’s easy to blame it on just gov funding, but SYCT pay no rent for the building, have done no public proactive fundraising in the last year, have not advertised the nursery & won’t share their financials to prove the nursery is at a deficit.
@PureLifeLo98639@anthonyboutall I think you’re getting working class nursery parents in a deprived part of Streatham mixed up with middle and upper middle class SYCT board members who did the opposite of subsidise (taking months to refund nursery fees)
What a shame that such a lovely charity has had its reputation destroyed by poor leadership and board decisions in the last 12 months. A good shout would be for some of the great SYCT staff in this video who have since left to consult the current board on how to run it properly.
If you love working with communities who are passionate, invested, creative and (dare we say) even noisy - please apply to the role of #SYCT 's interim CEO! They seem a little bit lost at the moment and defo in need of some strong, inspiring leadership💪🌱 https://t.co/R4Jh3mIKJH
If you want a nursery reinstated in Streatham Vale park, please be sure to come along next Saturday and make your voice heard!
12-2pm at the Hut, Streatham Vale park
It's been several weeks now since #SYCT shut Sprigs, and this space, thoughtfully and painstakingly designed for children's play, lies empty and unused. This is sad for the kids of course-especially on a sunny day today-but there is cause for deeper concern. Let's look at why:
We are still digesting what was a very long meeting last night with #SYCT, community members and elected representatives including councillors and local MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy last night, but here are some take home points: