Future of Melton SEND nursery under threat due to new council proposals
Plans have been unveiled to close Leicestershire’s four specialist pre-school nurseries, including the Oasis Retreat in Melton Mowbray.
The county council wants instead to fund more places for young children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in mainstream nurseries in a bid to provide all families with options nearer their homes.
The authority is proposing to pay £10 per hour for a child with complex needs to be given a place at a mainstream nursery and this would be topped up by a Free Early Education Entitlement (FEEE) payment.
County Hall has this week launched a public consultation into its proposals before a decision is made at the end of March with the potential that the four specialist SEND nurseries would close by April 2027.
Oasis Pre-School and Retreat, which is in the grounds of The Grove Primary School, consists of a mainstream nursery, which would be unaffected by the proposals, and the specialist Retreat pre-school for 20 SEND youngsters.
Maria Twittey, who has been manager of the Oasis setting for four years, said the four specialist pre-schools provided vital support for SEND children and that the extra funding being mooted for places in mainstream schools would not be enough to fund qualified specialist staff.
She told the Melton Times: “At these four specialist settings, we have children with the most complex needs in Leicestershire.
"I’ve got children in my mainstream pre-school at Oasis with additional needs but they are able to be in a mainstream pre-school.
"The children in the Retreat are not able to be in mainstream pre-school.”
Maria said she strongly believes in inclusion and for appropriate SEND children to be able to go into mainstream nurseries but that specialist SEND pre-schools remained a vital option.
She added: “Our Oasis mainstream nursery would continue whatever is decided.
"We have got 40 children on roll so that runs itself and is totally viable. I would like to keep them both though because they are two different sets of children.”
Councillor Charles Pugsley, lead member for children and families at County Hall, said: “As it stands, some families are having to travel miles in order to access the specialist nurseries and use their childcare funding entitlement.
“Not only is this inconvenient, but studies tell us that children thrive and have better chances of meeting their full potential when remaining in their communities.
“Also, there are simply not enough places at specialist nurseries available to meet the needs of all children with additional needs. ”
The Labour leader of Melton Borough Council, Pip Allnatt, commented: “If the Reform-run county council go ahead with their proposals to close this much loved local SEND pre-school it will be a disgrace.
"I have no doubt that it will be argued that it is better for SEND children to be integrated in mainstream pre-schools.
"For some this is definitely true. But not all. Make no mistake, this closure is about money not children."
Go to www.leicestershire.gov.uk/have-your-say/current-engagement/plans-to-provide-more-send-nursery-places-in-local-communities to have a say on these proposals.
Hundreds of people have already signed a petition calling for the retention of the Oasis Retreat – go to www.change.org/p/stop-the-closure-of-specialist-preschool-send-settings?recruiter=1399248157 to sign it.