Agenda item

RESOLVED:

1.1.         To agree to a formal consultation and publication of statutory notice on the proposed option: to agree to reduce the number of MNS within the borough via closure or amalgamation. This will give partners, residents, including the wider school communities and public the opportunity to comment on the proposed options.

1.2.         To note the potential risks and benefits associated with this option

1.3.         To note that the responses to the consultation will be presented in a report to the Mayor in cabinet later this year, so that a determination on this option can be made by the council.

The Executive Mayor considered the Future Options for Maintained Nursery Schools report, and shared with Cabinet that nationally, Maintained Nursery Schools had faced financial challenges for several years, despite transitional and supplementary funding.

The report outlined a high-level option for the transformation of the delivery of Maintained Nursery Schools in the London Borough of Croydon, to deliver a financially sustainable model, and detailed the potential future options for Maintained Nursery Schools in the borough.

The Executive Mayor added that the council aimed to speak with local residents to receive their view on the future model through extensive consultation with partners, parents and residents. The results of the consultation were to be presented in a report to Cabinet later this year.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, Councillor Maria Gatland informed that the suggestions and options were welcomed from the Scrutiny Children and Young People Sub-Committee meetings. The report set out the background of the recommendation and highlighted different types of early years provision demonstrating sufficient and diverse supply of early education to meet demand which was a statutory duty. Five of the schools had accrued a deficit of £560k despite a recovery plan, thus, to do nothing was not a viable option. The consultation was to be open and transparent in search of a viable solution and address the deficit.

The Shadow Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Councillor Amy Foster raised a question on the lack of communication with Maintained Nursery Schools for the difficulty of how the process had started, and whether the possible closure of two nursery schools was linked to the boroughs search for two locations to site the new family hubs.

The Director of Education, Shelley Davies responded highlighting that there had been communication with the Maintained Nursery Schools ahead of the publication of any reports that was seen in the public domain, further, addressed that Family Hubs and Centres were different. The service were reviewing where family hubs would be placed. As for the Maintained Nursery Schools the proposal was to conduct a consultation period to address the future for the schools.

The Corporate Director for Children, Young People and Education, Debbie Jones added that the outcome of the consultation should be able to address the ongoing deficit pressures, and though currently there were not many solutions, it was not an option to do nothing, and thus a consultation was required to review the future of the Maintained Nursery Schools.

The Opposition Leader Councillor Stuart King raised a question on what specific options had been considered and discussed in closing good and outstanding nursery schools.

The Executive Mayor responded that a consultation was to be conducted to understand the future for the schools, further by working collaboratively with partners to find a sustainable model to ensure that Maintained Nursery Schools were financially viable and avoided any increased deficits whilst ensuring that they retain enough provision for the early years.

The Executive Mayor in Cabinet RESOLVED:

1.1.         To agree to a formal consultation and publication of statutory notice on the proposed option: to agree to reduce the number of MNS within the borough via closure or amalgamation. This will give partners, residents, including the wider school communities and public the opportunity to comment on the proposed options.

1.2.         To note the potential risks and benefits associated with this option

1.3.         To note that the responses to the consultation will be presented in a report to the Mayor in cabinet later this year, so that a determination on this option can be made by the council.