Two primary school nursery classes in Yate and Thornbury to be privatised (From Gazette Series)

Two primary school nursery classes in Yate and Thornbury to be privatised

3:40pm Friday 5th February 2010 in

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TWO primary school nursery classes are due to be privatised following changes to the way pre schools are funded.

The nurseries at Tyndale Primary School in Yate and Gillingstool Primary School in Thornbury will invite bids from private companies for the contracts to open on site.

The nurseries are two of only eight council-maintained nurseries in the district, which were all subject to a review last year after the government announced it would no longer fund nurseries on the number of places offered, but on the number of children taking up places.

Staff at St John’s Mead nursery class in Chipping Sodbury, Staple Hill and Barley Close nurseries opted to continue being funded by the council but will now have to fill more places in order to stay open. The other five nurseries, including Tyndale and Gillingstool, chose to go private.

A spokeswoman for South Gloucestershire Council said: "Consultation was carried out in South Gloucestershire in an effort to make the transition as smooth as possible for nurseries, parents and their children. A report of the findings has now been published.

"Once the decision is finalised, Gillingstool Primary and Tyndale Primary will invite a private early years provider to operate on the school site in place of its maintained nursery class with the aim of providing a seamless transition for children and their parents."

She added: "Private providers are able to offer a wider range of more flexible childcare than has traditionally been available at school nursery classes."

The private nurseries will still offer 15 hours free to children aged three and over under the early years provision scheme.

In a questionnaire about the changes, 49 percent of parents said they wanted the five nurseries to remain council maintained.

However, the council’s director for children and young people Therese Gillespie said: "Although it is recognised that the prospect of a change to the way nursery education is provided is raising some local concern, the case for reorganisation remains pressing.

"Projected pupil numbers at the nursery classes are continuing to decline, the occupancy rate this year is below 50 percent.

"Smaller pupil numbers will inevitably lead to difficult consequences for school budgets, for staffing and will threaten educational viability and quality of provision."

Cllr Sheila Cook, executive member for children and young people, will formally approve the changes later this month.