Unless Government changes course, all Local Authority Maintained
Nursery Schools (MNS) in England will lose on average 30% of
their budget by September 2020.
Already we have seen one third of MNS close since 1980, leaving
just 392 still operating today. The Government’s failure to
provide sufficient long-term funding to guarantee the future of
MNS could result in nursery schools closing down or cutting back
services in 2020. A survey conducted by the APPG for MNS to
which 271 responded found that 39% had a deficit budget in
2018-19. 64% are expected to be in deficit in 2019-20.
Across the country nursery schools enrol more than 40,000
children. The majority are located in the poorest areas. The
education these nursery schools provide helps close the gap
between the most disadvantaged children and their peers. Without
sufficient funding these children and their families will not
have access to the high levels of nursery education and support
currently provided. Three years ago, the Government recognised
that MNS were not sufficiently funded and allocated supplementary
funding to plug the holes. This funding expires in 2020 and,
despite recent announcements in the spending review of extra
money for schools, there has been no mention of a long term
funding solution for MNS or maintaining the supplementary funding
beyond 2020.
Almost 17,000 people have already signed School
Cuts’ Save Nursery Schools petition
This week the National Education Union is also working
with Early Education and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on
Nursery Schools, Nursery and Reception Classes to send a pack of
campaign materials to every nursery school. You can view
it here: bit.ly/nurserypack and
for more information visit https://neu.org.uk/save-nursery-schools
Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General
Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“Local-authority maintained nurseries provide an invaluable
service to communities, often in some of the poorest areas in the
country. They not only educate our youngest children but also
provide many advice services for parents and carers no longer
available from their local authorities. The piecemeal approach to
their funding by the government is unacceptable and puts at risk
the quality and range of care which communities can access.
Without sufficient funding the remaining nurseries will either
have to close or severely cut back what they offer children and
families. It is vital government listens as a matter of urgency
to the thousands of people who have signed our petition for
additional funding.”
