Closure of Council-Run Nursery at Durand Primary School Approved by Monmouthshire County Council

THE closure of a primary school’s council maintained nursery has been approved by senior councillors. 
As a result the age range of Durand Primary School in Caldicot will change from three to 11 to age four to 11 from September 1. 
Early years education, funded by the council, will still be available at the school through an approved non-maintained nursery. Little Gems nursery already provides “wrap around” childcare for children aged three and over who were attending the school run nursery. 
Monmouthshire County Council first proposed closing the council maintained nursery and replacing it with a non-maintained, or private, provision in January and following a six week consultation published a statutory notice of its intention in April. 
Councillor Laura Wright, the cabinet member for education, said no statutory objections had been received during the 28 day objection period. 
The Labour member said: “In the earlier consultation period the overwhelming majority of responses supported our proposal and Estyn feedback was also favourable.” 
Cllr Wright said the new arrangements will be better suited to childcare needs locally and more flexible. 
She said the report “brought to a close the consultation” process which council leader Mary Ann Brockelsby called “quite a lengthy process”. 
Councils have a duty under the Childcare Act 2006 to ensure families can access a minimum of 10 hours a week of early education from the term following their child’s third birthday until they are offered a full-time school place.  
However since the Childcare Offer for Wales – that provides up to 30 hours a week funded early education and childcare to working parents – was introduced in Monmouthshire, during 2019 and 2020, parents have increasingly chosen non-maintained settings that are able to offer the full hours over school nurseries that only provide 12.5 hours a week.  
When the cabinet proposed the closure in January it was told numbers attending Durand Nursery had “reduced significantly”.  
It had a capacity of 60 part time places, with 30 attending morning sessions and 30 the afternoon, but hasn’t been close to being full since 2018/19, when 58 youngsters attended, and some years the nursery has only required a morning session. The report stated just 40 children were attending in the 2024/25 academic year. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

By BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​