"You don't think of council officers getting these kind of things," shelaughs. "It's not something you do for charity. The council pays me todo it."
But the day job has brought great rewards for the children of Islington,the inner London borough where Ruddock has lived for almost 30 years andworked since 1991. The area is highly polarised in terms of wealth andall 16 of its wards are among the 20 per cent most deprived inEngland.
Yet children attending council-run early years centres and maintainednurseries score five percentage points higher in reading, writing andmaths at Key Stage 1 than those who haven't. Ruddock puts this down tothe quality of the borough's services, partnerships and senior managers.Islington is also home to both of the inner London nurseries that aretop-rated by Ofsted.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
