Durham nursery says funding cuts could force them to 'close their doors'
Analysis by school leaders’ union NAHT, shows hundreds of nursery schools across England would be forced to close if the government doesn’t adjust its proposals.
A Durham nursery school says they'd be forced to close if they're left to pick up the bill for the governments promise of more free childcare.
The National Association of Headteachers, said hundreds of nursery schools across England, particularly those in poorer areas, would be forced to close if the government doesn’t change its plans.
The government are currently funding two years of 30 free childcare hours for some parents, but there's no guarentee of any funding after that.
This means some nurseries would have to pay for the costs themselves, with Durham coming in the top four areas likely to be worst hit.
Emma Foster, owner of Woodlands Day Nursery in the city, says 70 per cent of their places are funded and it would be unsustainable to continue if funding was cut.
She said: "It is scary, it does make us think.
"70 per cent of our cohort is funded places, so that's a lot of children to say that we'd be funding, we'd probably have to close the doors.
"It would have a massive impact, it's quite scary to think it might mean the closure of not only my own nursery but a lot of other nurseries.
"I'm also a parent and if all these nurseries are closing, where am I going to send my little ones?
"I actually subsidise some of the funding anyway, so to subsidise it all is not something that would be doable at all."
Pat Glass, MP for North West Durham promises to raise the issue in the House of Commons and wants parents to rally up.
She said: "I'm going to be asking for a meeting with the Education Secretary because I think this is vital.
"This is really important to our childrens future so I'm going to try to go right to the top.
"Writing to their local council, writing to their MP, complaining about the closing of their nursery schools because they are very very valuable commodities in their communities and we should not let them go.
"It's the council which will be making the decision on this and I feel great sympathy with councils, they're facing massive cuts, but I think we have to be careful where those cuts fall."