The success of the campaign to save maintained nursery schools - including securing £59 million supplementary funding per year for three years - has been largely down to the energy and determination of the headteachers, staff and governors who have supported the campaign to date.  Your continued support can ensure that government does follow through and deliver a long-term sustainable funding solution.

You can help to keep up the pressure on government as follows:

1. Visits from MPs and councillors Use Christmas/seasonal activities as an opportunity to invite MPs and local councillors to come and visit your nursery school.  Get parents to talk to them about the difference the nursery school has made to their family, the things which nursery schools do that other providers don’t.  If you can’t get them to visit you then go to their surgeries to talk to them about why maintained nursery schools matter.  Ask MPs to take up nursery school funding with Treasury ministers, not just DfE ministers, who acknowledge the arguments but need help persuading the Treasury to agree the funding.
2. Public petition The APPG is planning to coordinate public petitions to Parliament calling on the House of Commons to urge the government to take action to ensure maintained nursery schools are financially sustainable for the future. A public petition is a mechanism for a Member of Parliament to present the grievances or requests of an individual or group to the House of Commons. These petitions can then be formally presented to Parliament by the MP. This is a good way to engage and mobilise parents to lobby MPs to protect the future of our nursery schools, and show MPs that there is a lot of support for nursery schools in their area. We have prepared a petition for you to use to get signatures which fits the required format (see under Latest News section on the APPG webpage).  Gather signatures by 11 January 2019, and then contact Anthony McCaul in Lucy Powell’s office so that we can co-ordinate the presentation of the petitions in parliament (see instructions in the link above).
3. Regional action Come together regionally, with the support of your MPs where possible, to seek meetings with ministers and put together a package with local media involving headteachers and parents - see the excellent BBC piece on the Birmingham Nursery Schools meeting with Nadhim Zahawi.  You can access the template used by the Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Hull nursery schools (will be added to the APPG webspage shortly) if you want to provide your own data on the impact and value of nursery schools to your region, or use your own model to gather data and case studies to back up your case.
4. Local support Build support with local schools, employers, councils, etc.  Encourage councillors to put motions of support to local councils in support of sustainable funding for nursery schools – Liverpool City Council, West Berkshire Council and Hertfordshire County Council have already passed motions.
5. Support the All Party Parliamentary Group - attend meetings and encourage your MP to do so too. 
6. Become a member of Early Education, the national charity which supports and organises the campaign - the only funding we have to do so comes from membership fees.