Inverclyde Council will conduct a pre-consultation about early years provision in Greenock’s east end – with the closure of a nursery class under consideration.
The local authority’s education department has found the number of available places in the area exceeds both current and projected demand.
It means the existing nursery class at King’s Oak Primary School in East Crawford Street could be removed as part of plans to address overprovision.
The education and communities committee agreed last Tuesday a pre-consultation should be undertaken to identify the feasibility of shutting this particular nursery class.
Councillor Jim Clocherty, convener of the committee, said after the meeting: “Councils are in a difficult financial position and we have a duty to ensure best value for the taxpayers’ money we do have at our disposal and, as it stands, having four early years centres in the east end of Greenock is more than is required to meet current and projected demand.
“The key thing to bear in mind is that King’s Oak Primary School would be unaffected if the nursery class is closed and there is ample early years provision at three nearby centres so there should be little or no impact to families in the east end.
“But it’s important that we get the views of those who would be affected by the proposed nursery class closure before any final decision is made and I encourage people to take part in the informal consultation when it launches in the coming weeks.”
It’s 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.
A report considered at the meeting explained: “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.”
The council has already contacted parents and staff directly ahead of the informal consultation, which is expected to take place in the early part of this year.
Any final decision would be subject to a statutory consultation and further committee approval. Changes would not come into effect until August 2027.
