County Council children’s chief quells Kenilworth Nursery School rumours
Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for Children, Young People and Families, Cllr Izzi Seccombe, has moved to dispel rumours that Kenilworth Nursery School is about to be closed in a round of cuts.
The nursery school which is fully occupied by 80 children on a part time basis and has a waiting list, has been rumoured to be in danger of closure but, fearing unnecessary concern among parents and staff, Cllr Seccombe has moved to clarify the situation.
She explained that a government white paper – Your child, your schools, our future: building a 21st century schools system - obliges governors to examine the leadership and teaching in their school and consider alternatives to current practice if, e.g. a head teacher vacates a post. Because the head teacher at Kenilworth Nursery is an interim appointment, fears have arisen that the nursery could be vulnerable to the threat of closure.
Cllr Seccombe said: ““Kenilworth Nursery School is a magnificent example of the kind of education that the county council is striving to achieve at all of its early years provision. The county council is delighted with its successes, particularly in the way that OfSTED rated it as outstanding in its most recent report.
“There is a review going on at nursery schools across Warwickshire which is the result of the government’s white paper. It forms part of the county council’s primary strategy for change.
“Kenilworth Nursery School does have an interim head teacher and the white paper calls for governors to review the nursery’s leadership before making a permanent appointment to the headship. Cabinet has agreed to a formative consultation on the future of all nursery schools and this will begin in mid May. It will explore several possible models of delivery with staff and governors and the outcome will be reported back to Cabinet for further consideration.”
Cllr Seccombe also moved to quell suggestions that the nursery school might be under threat because of financial constraints. The nursery is sustained by the Department of Education’s Dedicated School Grant and, being filled to capacity, is protected. “We have a responsibility to ensure that this standard of quality is available across the whole county, which is why the delivery of early years provision is being reviewed.
“I am anxious to reassure parents of young children in Kenilworth that high quality early years provision will not be lost. Our priority is to safeguard the quality of this provision for the future.