A Special Meeting took place today, Friday 9 May at 9am.
Where the following Motion, proposed by Councillor Julie Pirone was considered:
“We hereby give notice, in accordance with Standing Order 26, that the undernoted Motion, to be proposed by Councillor Pirone, seeks to set aside
the decision made by the Executive Committee on 15th April 2025 in relation to Item 10 on that Agenda - Early Learning and Childcare Provision.
In order to provide certainty to parents / caregivers of Nursery age children regarding Nursery placements for the School Session 2025 to 2026 and to
provide an accessible service for families living in rural communities while addressing the challenge of operating a traditional nursery class for very
small numbers of children”.
Following the special meeting the council agreed:
- To set aside the decision of its Executive Committee on 15 April in relation to item 10 on that Agenda - Early Learning and Childcare Provision.
- To provide clarity for the coming session and avoid mothballing, by continuing to explore, in consultation with affected families, alternative models to consider the best interests of the children and to provide Early Learning and Childcare provision within a composite stage model in Channelkirk, Cockburnspath, Ednam, Walkerburn, and Yetholm for the School Session 2025/2026.
- To continue to explore this new alternative model and will, therefore, not mothball Nursery provisions in Channelkirk, Cockburnspath, Ednam, Walkerburn, and Yetholm to provide certainty to children and parents during that coming School Session 2025/2026.
- That the Director of Education and Children’s Services shall commence a three-week consultation with the parents and caregivers of those children affected in nurseries and school classes by these proposals as soon as possible and agrees that she will then implement the appropriate model in each setting.
- The mothballed status of the provisions in Sprouston, Westruther and Fountainhall Nurseries will be reviewed, as planned, through consultation with the parents and caregivers in these communities. This review will continue the exploration of the opportunity to provide outdoor Early Learning and Childcare provision at Heriot.
- That this approach will provide staff within these settings’ clarity in relation to roles which will remain at their current location and allow work to commence on staffing allocation under the usual deployment procedures.
- To form a Member Officer Working Group which will review the draft policy presented to Executive and while taking account of the views of parents and stakeholders as well as national guidance, produce a policy on the Mothballing of Early Learning and Childcare Provision for the future. This policy will be presented to Council for approval by the end of October 2025.
- The Working Group can co-opt representatives of Parent Councils within the Scottish Borders but further agrees it will be for that working group to agree the number of representatives to be co-opted and the process for doing so.
Following the meeting, the council will continue to explore alternative models for Early Learning and Childcare provision in consultation with affected families and implement the appropriate model in each setting to provide certainty to children and parents during the coming School Session 2025/2026.
Findings will be brought back to a Special Executive Meeting at the earliest opportunity.