Council’s decision to close Drummore Nursery was a “catastrophic betrayal of public trust”
Parents and members of the community are urging everyone to attend today’s urgent meeting.
Dumfries and Galloway Council is being slammed by parents at Drummore Nursery over the lack of “warning, consultation, or transparency” ever since they found out the learning centre will be closing in August.
This announcement came as a shock to many, especially as the next nearest nursery is in Sandhead which is ten miles away.
They are arguing this is a “catastrophic betrayal of public trust” as there has been no inclusion in any plans the council has made.
The local authority is also being criticised for violating its own Education and Learning Theme Strategic Outcomes, which promises: an inclusive place of learning meeting the needs of the local communities; striving to get it right for all children; and supporting young people and adults to achieve their goals.
Katie Beck is a mother of seven and was hoping to have one of her kids start after the summer.
“I had planned to put my youngest child into nursery and return to work. I gave up my job after my two-year-old was born because I couldn’t get childcare in the local area, so reaching two was a big milestone because it would have meant that I could go back to work and start contributing towards society again.
“Our closest nursery will be Sandhead which is ten miles each way – this is too far to travel considering I’d also have children going to Drummore primary school so I wouldn’t be able to be in two places at once. I wouldn’t be able to do the nursery drop-off and the primary drop-off”
She shares her frustration:
“I feel very let down by the council’s decision to shut down Drummore Nursery. It’s so disappointing. It feels like our children don’t matter, and like our community doesn’t matter.”
Alicia Poots is another mother whose kids go to the nursery who also echoes Beck’s views. She is worried about how they will cope with the change:
“With having three very young children in the nursery and one due to go into Primary One, I think the whole experience for them would be very traumatic. I don’t know how their minds would deal with it in the long run, they’re very settled at the minute.”
She also fears this could have a knock-on effect:
“All our families are going to be let down by the closed nursery. It stops people expanding their families or new people moving to the area because there is no service made available – it’s just outrageous.”
A spokesperson from the Dumfries and Galloway Council says that they have agreed that the children’s needs would be better suited at another location due to its current low school-roll numbers.
“Each year, our council manage approximately 1,600 Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) enrolments into our local authority nurseries.
“Places at council-run nurseries are allocated based on priority groupings with children with additional support needs as the first priority.
“Whilst there is no statutory catchment boundary for our ELC settings, they are zoned in order to prioritise placements for children living closer to an ELC.
“This year, the application period occurred between 9 January and 24 January, with schools inputting the data for each registration application by 14 February.
“Following the completion of the enrolment process the numbers seeking to register are assessed based on the capacity allowed in each setting in order to ensure we can best meet the needs of parents/carers and their children.
“As the numbers were so low, it was agreed that the children’s needs would be better served at an alternative setting. “
An urgent meeting is being held today at 3pm at the Kirkmaiden Community Hub where Ward 1 councillors will be attending.
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