Issue - meetings

a)         Sand Dunes Nursery School – Public Petition

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, the Head Teacher has submitted a petition, containing the signatures of at least 25 residents of the Borough, which opposes the closure of the above Nursery. Michelle Hoang, a parent, will be permitted to address the Cabinet on the content of the petition for a period of up to 5 minutes.

The petition states that:-

“Sand Dunes Nursery School in Seaforth is facing possible closure in July 2019. The school is well-established within the area and has been part of the immediate community for over 80 years. Sand Dunes provides a very strong support network for all their families, not only providing high quality education and care for children in the critical early stages of their development but supporting parents in numerous ways which include educational advice, support and general guidance which our families need and rely upon. The families that access Sand Dunes are very concerned that there will not be spaces available to cater for their children if this setting was to close and they are keen to make sure their children continue to receive the same high quality education and support.

Independent research has shown that Maintained Nursery Schools provide the highest quality Early Years Education, meeting higher standards and employing the most qualified staff. They provide a different service to other early years providers, closing the achievement gap for some of the most disadvantaged children in the country.”

b)        Sand Dunes Nursery School – Outcome of the Consultation on the Proposal to Close the School Because it is not Financially Viable.

Report of the Head of Schools and Families

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, the Head Teacher of Sand Dunes Nursery School had submitted a petition, containing the signatures of 88 residents of the Borough, which opposed the closure of the Nursery. Michelle Hoang, a parent, was permitted to address the Cabinet for a period of up to 5 minutes on the content of the petition which stated that:

“Sand Dunes Nursery School in Seaforth is facing possible closure in July 2019. The school is well-established within the area and has been part of the immediate community for over 80 years. Sand Dunes provides a very strong support network for all their families, not only providing high quality education and care for children in the critical early stages of their development but supporting parents in numerous ways which include educational advice, support and general guidance which our families need and rely upon. The families that access Sand Dunes are very concerned that there will not be spaces available to cater for their children if this setting was to close and they are keen to make sure their children continue to receive the same high quality education and support.

Independent research has shown that Maintained Nursery Schools provide the highest quality Early Years Education, meeting higher standards and employing the most qualified staff. They provide a different service to other early years providers, closing the achievement gap for some of the most disadvantaged children in the country.”

During her presentation, Michelle Hoang referred to the number of children who currently attend Sand Dunes Nursery School, who are classed as vulnerable and have external involvement from various other agencies and she suggested that that there were other alternatives to closing the maintained nursery that are potentially viable and should be fully explored before a decision is made to close the nursery, such as:

·         Merging or working with other maintained nurseries in the area, before Sefton runs the risk of losing all four, and having a bigger cumulative financial debt.

·         Using Sand Dunes as a profitable educational training hub. Many other settings are having to attend courses/training outside of the area, and Sand Dunes are already providing advice and training for other local settings.

·         Consider using Sand Dunes as a specialist provision for those with Special Educational Needs, to free up places in similar settings, such as Rowan Park.

The Cabinet then considered the report of the Head of Schools and Families which indicated that the Cabinet at its meeting held on 26 July 2018 (Minute No. 29) had been advised that the Governing Body of Sand Dunes Nursery School had informed Council Officers that it was unable to set a budget and produce a plan to bring the school back into budget and consequently the school was no longer financially viable. The Cabinet had agreed to undertake a statutory consultation and the report provided details of the outcome of the consultation on the proposed closure of Sand Dunes Nursery School, the current financial position of the school and sought  ...  view the full minutes text for item 55