Grassmarket Nursery School consultation

1.1   This consultation paper sets out the rationale and the implications from the proposal to relocate Grassmarket Nursery School to Tollcross Primary School. The paper also sets out the consultation process and the means and timescales for making representations.

1.2   A report has already been taken to Education Children and Families Committee on the 11 December 2012 setting out the proposal.  Approval was given to undertake a statutory consultation.

1.3   Grassmarket Nursery School is located in Edinburgh's Old Town and provides preschool education for children aged 3 -5 years, in a building that can accommodate up to 24 FTE (48 children). 

1.4   Under the terms of the Schools (Consultation)(Scotland) Act 2010, the Council is required to consult on proposals affecting the education of children and this includes children attending nursery schools and nursery classes.

Format of Consultation Paper

1.5   The consultation paper is divided into the following sections:

1. Introduction, Context and Rationale
2. The Proposal
3. Grassmarket Nursery School - Case for Relocation
4. Education Benefits Statement
5. Accommodation Considerations
6. Financial Considerations
7. Rationale for the Relocation of Grassmarket Nursery School to Tollcross Primary School
8. Public Consultation Process

Appendix 1: Location of Grasssmarket Nursery School, Tollcross Primary School and Lochrin Nursery School

Rationale

1.6   From August 2013 there will be spare capacity within Tollcross Primary School following the move of the Gaelic medium nursery class to the new dedicated Gaelic medium school, Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pàirce (Parkside Primary School).

1.7   Grassmarket Nursery is consistently undersubscribed, with the roll during 2012/13 and predicted for 2013/14 significantly so. In November 2012 the total roll of the nursery was 9 children, with the roll for the whole academic session predicted to be 11. Of these children, only 4 children are expected to require a further year of preschool education from August 2013.  These low numbers result in limited learning and social opportunities for children.

1.8   Grassmarket Nursery School is currently managed by the Head Teacher of Lochrin Nursery School and therefore it has been possible for the small number of children to participate in larger group opportunities at Lochrin Nursery School.  It is proposed that the current management arrangement will continue should the provision be relocated to Tollcross Nursery.

1.9   This provision, along with Lochrin Nursery School will provide additional choice and improved access to nursery provision for children living in Tollcross and the James Gillespie's Primary School area where there is substantial demand for provision. This should also result in improved educational and social experiences for children who might have attended Grassmarket Nursery School.

1.10   This relocation of services and resources will allow opportunities to consider a range of future developments in services for very young children and their parents in the Tollcross area through discussion with stakeholders, including the local community.

Nursery School Capacity

1.11   In the consultation paper reference is made to the building capacity of the nursery, the number of nursery places that are made available through staffing allocations and the number of children (the roll) that attend the nursery. 

1.12   Reference is made to the composition of nursery places which can be full-time (FT) or part-time (PT). Part-time places may be morning (am) and afternoon (pm). For comparative purposes, nursery places are also counted as full-time equivalents (FTE). A nursery can apply flexibility in the provision of part-time and full-time places to reflect demand and to utilise the staffing levels that have been made.

Making Representations

1.13   Comments on this paper should be submitted at the latest by close of business on Thursday, 28 February 2013 to the address set out in Section 8 of this paper.   A public meeting detailed in Section 8, will be held as follows:

Venue: Tollcross Primary School
Date: 7 February 2013
Time: 6pm - 8 pm