The Clitheroe Thursdayj June 2nd, 2005 No. 6,202 news and views from the Centre of the Kingdom, V'r’ - ^.'w


OAR’S hedge battle


PAGES


.',!i success PAGE?


if By-JuIie Magee ■


CHILDMINDERS in the Ribble Valley have spoken out as a cam­ paign for tighter regulations moves into top gear. , . Following the death of 19-month-old Joshua Massey Hodgkinson in Sabden'


. las t April, a' n ational' “Jus tice for Joshua” campaign was launched by his family.


. The campaign followed the sentencing


of mother-of-three Wendy Barlow, who admitted binge drinking to a health visi-, tor prior to becoming registered as a childminder. She is currently serving a three-year


jail term for his manslaughter, after he drowned in the bath at her home during the early hours of the morning. Barlow, who was not registered to look


after children a t night, had been looking after Joshua on an informal basis that evening so th a t 'h is mother, Emma Massey, of Clitheroe, could have an' evening out. Miss Massey has said she did not


know Barlow was not registered to look after children overnight and had not been told this by Barlow or Ofsted - the body responsible for regulating child­ minders. The family’s campaign is calling for


tougher tra in in g for childraiinders, including an NVQ qualification in child­


care and easier access to information on their backgrounds. A' spokesman for a group of six child­


minders, who meet at Ribblesdale Nurs­ ery in Clitheroe, stressed they do not con­ done Wendy Barlow’s actions and sym­ pathised with'Joshua’s family, but did not want tarring with the same brush. The childminders, she, said, wished to


respond to criticisms of the UK child- minding system that had been prevalent in the national and local media. > ■ In a s ta tem en t released to the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times, -a spokesman, for. the group said: “No one should uhderestiniate the level of care and commitment provided in the Ribble Valley.' .


\ ' “■We, as childcare providers in the Rib­


ble Valley, wish to make it known that on current Ofsted inspection grades we are all graded as good, which is the highest standard available at the time of inspec-' tion.” She added th a t all six childminders


have been through an Ofsted safety inspection prior to registration \vith any recommended safety measures imple­ mented before a second Ofsted inspection in order not to be refused. They added that prospective childmin­


ders have to attend a seminar and several training workshops, while each childmin-. der is trained in child protection and first aid. The whole family is also police checked.


“The individuals also have to have


their personal medical records inspected and approved by Ofsted,” a spokesman added. “Fourteen standards have to be met


before anyone is approved for childcare. Following approval a registration is issued. This clearly states how many chil­ dren of what ages can be looked after. The certificate also states if overnight care is provided and areas of the house which can not be used. The certificate of registration must be displayed a t any childminder’s property. Following regis­ tration Ofsted regularly inspect each childminder to ensure high standards are continually improved.’’ The group recognises that Ofsted does


not require childminders to have an NVQ qualification in childcare. However, they say that Ofsted checks


the quality of the provision made for chil­ dren’s physical development and learn­ ing, the quality of teaching and the effec­ tiveness of the partnership with par- ents/carers and promoting children’s learning. In addition, whether the child’s spiritual, moral, social and emotional development are being fostered and how well the setting is managed, are all con­ sidered. Joshua’s parents, Emma Massey and


Simon Hodgkinson, together with ; 9 continued bh page 2


On the trail of missing numbers


CHILDREN and parents joined together to enjoy a number trail at Ribblesdale Nursery School. The fun event, which was attend­


ed by at least 100 children, includ­ ed a range of number tasks, includ­ ing counting and weighing. Linked to areas of the maths cur­


riculum, the children participated in tasks with their parents both in


and outside the nursery, on Queen’s Road, after some of the pupils had been involved in numeracy work­ shops. Our picture shows youngsters


Jack Carysforth, Kate Simpson and ■William Hope, counting the dots along Mth parents Mrs Adele Hope and Mrs Gill Simpson. (B260505/3)


WORLD RECORD AnEMPT AT CLITHEROE’S CREAT DAYS FESTIVAL - SEE PAGE 19 ■: th‘6 ultimatewediner


.Stressless® . Vegas with Stool


-V 3


s'.- .1


J'Si! - 'J- . - I / Relax your body r^. - free your mind Stressless®


Mayfair with Stool


HOWARTH&JEPSON laKL'ctdnaf conum^wufj/ine


Pendle Mill- Pendle Road * Clitherde - , 01200 425522


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43