Protest over governance experiment

Early years experts have expressed 'grave concern' after a Lancashire local authority was granted an extension of an alternative governance model for nursery schools, which they claim jeopardises the quality of nursery education. The DfEShas granted Blackburn with Darwen Council a two-year extension of arrangements for seven of its nine maintained nursery schools as part of its children's centre programme. Since the council introduced the new governance system in 2004, all seven nursery schools have lost their headteachers and most have been absorbed into children's centres.