Consultation regarding the closure of the Nursery

** Please note: the consultation period has closed **

Today we are beginning a consultation which invites you to comment on the closure of the Nursery at North Walsham Infant and Nursery School.

The proposal is to close the Nursery due to insufficient demand for places and the associated financial losses resulting from this. 

The change will take effect from September 1st 2021. 

We have a 52 place Nursery for three and four year olds, with only around 20 children in attendance throughout the year. We share our catchment with five other Nursery/Pre-school settings which collectively provide the town with around 200 places for two and three year olds.  Local Authority data indicates that there will be 96 three year olds and 102 two year olds living in our catchment in the 2021/22 academic year. The current provision in the town will be able to meet this need and our own Nursery is therefore unlikely to experience an increase in demand sufficient to enable the staffing costs to match future income. We have sustained financial losses over the past two years (an overspend of £29,453.09 in 2019-20 and projected loss of around £12,000 in 2020-21) and if this change is not made, our budget will be in deficit by 2022. Pupil admission numbers into our Reception classes have also fallen steadily over recent years from around 90 and according to Local Authority data are expected to sit at around 55 for the next nine years. The Nursery currently only operates on a mornings-only basis as there were too few afternoon children (only one or two on some days) to warrant opening for full days.

The school values highly the views and opinions of the community within which it operates. We now seek your views regarding the closure of the Nursery at the Federation of North Walsham Junior, Infant and Nursery Schools.

The consultation will run from Monday 8th March until Monday 19th April.

If you wish to comment on the proposed changes please email: officeinf-nw@yare-edu.org.uk

Public meetings are not possible with current restrictions.  If you would like to find out more about the proposed changes, please contact us as above and we can arrange a phone call or if numbers interested warrant it, a virtual meeting.