A nursery class in Greenock could close as part of Inverclyde Council proposals to address an overprovision of early learning services in the town’s east end.
The local authority’s education department has found the number of available places in the area exceeds both current and projected demand.
The existing nursery class at King’s Oak Primary School in East Crawford Street could be removed as part of plans set to be discussed by officers and elected members.
The education and communities committee will be asked to agree a pre-consultation is undertaken about provision in the area and identify the feasibility of shutting this particular nursery class.
A report, which will be considered at the meeting, said: “The closure of any provision will undoubtedly be emotive and no closure can take place without statutory consultation.
“Parents of children attending the provision will want assurances of continuity and this all has to be factored into the next steps.
“The purpose of any consultation will be to ensure that the decisions taken are to the benefits of children and families.
“However, taking into account the wider financial pressures on the education services and the council it does not make fiscal sense to provide an overprovision of service in an area.”
It is proposed services are provided by nearby centres such as Blairmore Early Learning and Childcare Centre which is operating significantly short of its potential capacity. The east end is also served by Glenbrae and Hillend. King’s Oak Primary itself would be unaffected by any changes.
The council has already contacted parents and staff directly about the plans. Any final decision would be subject to a statutory consultation and further committee approval and changes would not come into effect until August 2027.
Councillor Jim Clocherty, convener of the committee, said: “Officers have carried out a comprehensive review of early learning provision in the east end of Greenock and they have determined that there is more nursery space available for the falling number of children from the area who are attending.
“There is currently an under-utilisation of nursery provision in the east end and it is projected that demand will decrease further over the next decade.
“Councils and the wider public sector are in difficult financial times and we must ensure public resources are used wisely.
“It is important to stress that no final decision has yet been made and the proposal is to carry out an initial informal consultation to get people’s views, which are vitally important, and that King’s Oak Primary will be unaffected by any changes to the nursery class.
“However, it will ultimately be a matter for members of the education and communities committee to consider the recommendations from officers and make a final decision.”
The committee meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 20.
