ELY S Spring Meadows Infants School has been chosen as the place for one of the Government s innovative new Children s Centres. The news comes in the same week as the future of the Ely Assessment Unit at the school, which helps children with communication

ELY'S Spring Meadows Infants School has been chosen as the place for one of the Government's innovative new Children's Centres.

The news comes in the same week as the future of the Ely Assessment Unit at the school, which helps children with communication and social problems, has been guaranteed.

If given the go-ahead, the new centre will provide a one-stop shop where children under five and their parents can receive services and information from a range of professionals.

The centre, costing £412,000, could be open as early as March next year and will be funded under the Government's Sure Start project.

Five similar centres have already got the go-ahead in Cambridgeshire under the first phase of the project.

Ely's centre is one of 22 being rolled out in the second phase of the initiative, which aims to provide a centre for every community in the country by 2010.

"This centre will create a learning partnership, working with social care, educational psychologists, health and the job centre, creating a much more multi-disciplinary early years provision," said Gordon Jeyes, Cambridgeshire County Council's director of Young People's and Children's Services and deputy chief executive.

Parents will be able to access information on family support services and activities, child and family health services and even have access to training and adult education.

The news of the new centre comes as the future of the Ely Assessment Unit at the school has been guaranteed after a month-long consultation.

The unit, set up around 25 years ago to help children suffering difficulties at the start of their school lives, was under threat after councillors felt the funding could be better used elsewhere.