'Outstanding' London nursery gets stay of execution as funding for ages 0-2 extended for a year

A dad has hailed the 'positive first step' in saving nursery provision in the City of London after a primary school's funding for babies and toddlers was approved for another year. The Aldgate School, which is in the east of the Square Mile and the area's only state primary, currently offers full and part-time day care for children aged between 12 weeks and three years. It was rated 'Outstanding' by Ofsted at its inspection last July.

The City of London Corporation in March last year agreed to amend how local children's centre services are delivered, a consequence of which would be that the funding for The Aldgate School to provide affordable childcare would not be extended beyond August 2025.

But on Thursday (January 16), members sitting on the Community and Children's Services Committee voted to extend the subsidy for a further year and to re-consult on potential changes to the model. One parent, Amine El Qazoui, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): "This is a positive first step and shows that the pressure we've been putting on the City is working. However, we still need to follow this issue closely, as I expect a new consultation process to take place. The fundamental risk remains, and it's crucial we keep the momentum going to ensure a permanent solution is found for 0-2 childcare provision at Aldgate."

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The Corporation's decision taken last March followed a public consultation on how children's services are to be run in the City. The consultation found parents and carers want a broader range of services closer to their homes, with other priorities including more support for problems associated with social isolation.

Members agreed that the service will be run from additional locations across the Square Mile and taken in-house and managed by the Corporation directly. The Corporation says the overall level of funding is not to be reduced. The changes are intended to bring children's services closer to parents and carers from sites including Shoe Lane Library, the Barbican Library, and the Golden Lane Community Centre.

Parents and councillors have however raised concerns about the future of the 0-2 childcare service at The Aldgate School. The funding agreement with the Corporation was due to end in August this year, which the school's modelling suggests is necessary to keep the provision going. While that's been extended now for another year, its long-term future is far from secure.

A petition launched by Anna Lee at the GMB union calling for the centre to be retained has accrued almost 1,400 signatures. It describes the school's centre as 'the only facility which provides affordable childcare to working parents'.

At Thursday's meeting, members were presented with three options by officers: provide no additional subsidy; agree a subsidy for The Aldgate School only; or subsidise all City kids aged from zero to two attending childcare. Almost all members who spoke warned against options one or three, both of which would effectively mean The Aldgate School's 0-2 provision would have to close.

Deputy John Fletcher, of Portsoken ward, said anything other than continuing the subsidy would be 'grossly irresponsible'. He said the school currently has a full roll though that it must be invested in to retain its existing standards.

"The sooner parents' children can feel part of the school family the more likely they are to remain with the school, keeping its classrooms full and the quality of education as high as it is," he told members. "Now is the worst possible time to cut the flow of future students and to reduce funding. We should be falling over ourselves to make sure the school can offer the best possible service from birth to secondary school."

Common Councillor David Williams meanwhile raised the financial reality the provision would face unless a targeted subsidy was agreed. He said: "Don't be misguided into thinking that there is another option for the school. It's not affordable for them to continue with that service on their own and so there would not be affordable childcare in the Square Mile."

Deputy Ceri Wilkins said she would look to vote for the subsidy to be distributed among eligible City children. She added that The Aldgate School is not easily accessible for the majority of families in other wards, such as Aldersgate or Cripplegate, and reiterated the proposed changes stemmed from a want to improve the Square Mile's children's centre services.

Members agreed to take the meeting into private, after Deputy Natasha Lloyd-Owen raised concerns about taking a vote without being able to discuss financial considerations included in exempt papers. The decision eventually reached by the committee was in support of a separate option to those proposed, namely that the funding will be extended for a further year and a new consultation carried out.

A City of London Corporation spokesperson said: "We are committed to ensuring quality childcare provision for City residents. Following a debate at the Community and Children's Services Committee, it was agreed to sustain financial support in relation to the childcare arrangements at The Aldgate School for one academic year, ending in August 2026.

"The City Corporation will work with parents and stakeholders to prepare detailed policy options for members to consider in relation to affordable childcare for residents prior to August 2026. We will continue to work with residents to ensure that their childcare needs are regularly reviewed and met. To support City families experiencing economic or other significant disadvantage, the City Corporation will continue to provide a childcare accessibility scheme."

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