Burnley school's nursery could close within months 'because it cannot accommodate two-year-olds'

A public consultation will begin in September into plans to close the nursery facilities at Whittlefield Community Primary School.

Lancashire County Council’s cabinet gave the go-ahead to the process after the authority was approached by the Tabor Street school over concerns about the financial viability of the service it provides for three-year-olds. Affected families had already been advised of the proposal.

A report presented to cabinet members revealed that there were 49 children attending the Whittlefield nursery as recently as the 2020/21 academic year, split across morning and afternoon sessions. However, this year, that figure has fallen to 25 - and so far only five applications have been made for places in the nursery class in 2025/26.

County Cllr Jayne Rear - County Hall’s cabinet member for education and skills - told the meeting at which the consultation was approved that the school believed the declining popularity of its nursery offering may be due to the fact that it cannot accommodate two-year-olds.

“Feedback from parents indicates that they are seeking stability and do not wish to change their nursery placement once their children are admitted [elsewhere],” County Cllr Rear said.

She added that the headteacher and governors had also been concerned about “the financial implications for the primary school of subsidising the nursery provision”.

A county council assessment has found that, in spite of an increasing birth rate in Burnley, there are “an adequate number of nursery places” in the town.

Cabinet members are due to consider the outcome of the consultation - which will specifically be into allowing the school to permanently reduce its age range from 3-11 years old to 4-11 years old - at a meeting on 5th December. If the change is approved, the nursery facility would close at the end of 2024.