For many families the arrival of September is a very important time of the year. Hundreds of children will be having their much anticipated first day at school. For others there will be the transition to the bigger world of secondary school with all its challenges and opportunities. I would like to wish everyone who is starting at a new school this term all the best for their future studies. We have more good school places available now in our area than ever before. We have always had some outstanding local schools, but the exam grades for GCSEs and A levels published this summer show that all our schools are making excellent progress and getting great results for their students.
The early years, before school life starts, are also a vitally important time in a child's development. This is why I'm a great believer in children's centres and nursery education. They provide an important creative learning environment for young children, as well as being a centre of support for parents. Earlier in the summer Kent County Council announced plans for savings in its budget for children's centres and has put these out for consultation. These plans could lead to the closure of the centre in New Romney, requiring the parents to use the centres at Lydd or Dymchurch instead. In addition to this it has been proposed to close either The Village children's centre in east Folkestone or the Folkestone Early Years centre. I am totally opposed to the closure of any of these important centres. They are doing great work in communities where there is a real need for their services.
Following the start of this consultation, which ends on 4th October, I invited Councillor Jenny Whittle, who is the Cabinet member at Kent County Council for children's services, to visit the three centres with me. I wanted her to see for herself what an excellent job they do, and to meet some of the staff and volunteers who work there, and the families that use them. We have visited the two centres in Folkestone already, and I have visited the New Romney centre, and will be returning with Jenny later this month. One of the many impressive features of these centres are the number of mothers who used them when their children were little, and now they have moved on to school, have returned to help out as volunteers.
Jenny Whittle is a mother with young children herself, and I know that she has been impressed by what she has seen so far. It is very important though that as many people as possible fill out the official consultation forms that have been provided. You can pick up paper copies of these at the children's centres, and the staff there will be able to discuss them with you. You can also find them online at the Kent County Council website. The budget savings for children's centres are being proposed right across Kent, and the council will be looking at the response rates in different areas to show the level of public support for the affected centres. You have until 4th October to get your forms in.