New College Lanarkshire U-turns on plans to close Cumbernauld nursery
College management first announced financial problems meant the nursery would close in May.
Families and staff have welcomed a decision by New College Lanarkshire to continue operating the nursery at its Cumbernauld campus, having previously announced its closure.
College management first announced financial problems meant the nursery would close in May, but first granted a stay of execution until the end of 2023.
However it later confirmed its intention to proceed with the closure, triggering a campaign by local residents to save it, and on Tuesday it was confirmed the nursery would remain open.
The latest letter to parents reads: “Our decision to postpone the closure of Cumbernauld Campus nursery until the end of this year was not driven by a desire to delay the inevitable.
"Instead, it was genuinely motivated by a desire to find a sustainable alternative operating model for the nursery.
“I am pleased to inform you that last night, the New College Lanarkshire Regional Board approved a proposal to retain the Cumbernauld Campus nursery as part of NCL by adopting a new operating model.
“Key to this proposal is the formation of a nursery development board involving staff, students, and parents to develop a sustainable five-year-plan for the nursery.
"We will establish a strategic partnership with AMCOL, the charity that runs our Motherwell nursery, to share knowledge and best practice in the sector.
“We will also better integrate the nursery with out academic departments to provide experimental opportunities for our Early Years students, enhancing our educational offering.
“We will commence the process of establishing the nursery development board after the October break.
“I believe that the Board will help us shape a strong foundation for the future of the Cumbernauld Campus nursery.”
The news was welcomed by community campaign Save Cumbernauld Campus Nursery.
A spokesperson said: “We would like to thank our staff, parents and local community for the way you rallied around us and our children.
"We felt the whole of Cumbernauld got behind us to fight this and today… we won our fight.
“We received confirmation today that our nursery will remain open, working under a new model in which parents, staff and students will work together with the college to ensure the continued success of our wonderful little facility.
“Again, we cannot thank you enough for the love and support we’ve received. We have no doubt that the resistance to the closure was exactly what stopped it and we will be forever grateful.
“We told them ‘hands off our nursery,’ today, they listened.”
They added: “A special thank you to the staff from parents: throughout this awful time, you have stood strong and continued to provide the highest standard of care for our children, even when your jobs were at risk.
"We will never be able to articulate the difference you make to our children’s lives. You are not our nursery workers, you are our family.”