Lisburn children left without local nursery place

THERE have been calls for a review of nursery provision in Lisburn after it was revealed 300 local children will have to travel outside of the city if they want to attend a teacher led nursery school and over 70 youngsters have not been allocated a place of their choice.

One local mother, whose daughter has not received a Nursery school place for September 2011, says she is annoyed at having to make alternative arrangements.

She said: “I have lived in Lisburn all my life and had naively taken for granted that my children would be educated in Lisburn. I am now forced to consider private nursery provision at a cost of around £2300, to ensure that she receives the essential pre-school year’s education.

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“I am most annoyed with the admissions criteria which these nursery schools must comply with when they are oversubscribed” she said. “By accepting all those on job-seekers and income support first, the criteria blatantly favours the unemployed over hard-working people such as myself and my husband.

“Why should those who work be made to pay for private education when they have been paying taxes all of their working lives to supposedly fund such essential services?”

Councillor Paul Givan said the problem was particularly acute in some parts of Lisburn, including Pond Park Nursery which had 124 applications as their first choice but only 78 positions available. Similarly Ballymacash Nursery had to turn away 11 applications that had placed the nursery school as their first choice and many other nursery are in the same position.

Mr Givan said: “This clearly demonstrates the strong demand that exists and the South Eastern Education Board needs to identify how the lack of capacity in these areas can be met in future years. I have already spoken with the Chief Executive of the Education Board, Stanton Sloan, on several occasions this week about these issues and in the short-term there is an imperative to have children allocated a nursery school place and I have been assured that the Board will be able to offer nursery places to those children that remain unallocated within the Lisburn area.

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“However this does not deal with the problem that many families are not receiving their first preference choice and over 70 did not achieve any of their preferences.”

Councillor Basil McCrea described the frustration of parents: “Parents want their children to attend teacher led nursery schools or units, and they want it in their own area. It is simply unrealistic that the SEELB have asked parents to send their children to Belfast and beyond for a pre-school place.”

“It’s clear there are not sufficient statutory pre-school places here in Lisburn, and the Department of Education has not gone far enough in their plans to ensure parents are given a choice on where to send their pre-schoolers.”

He added: “Parents have been offered places in nursery schools in areas such as Poleglass, Twinbrook and Portaferry, which is a two hour return journey from Lisburn. Parents of these 300 children, who have not been offered places in their first preference pre-schools, are feeling pressured to take up these places further afield, as there are so few statutory nursery places available.”

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He continued: “Barbour Nursery School has been campaigning for an increase in full-time places, however the SEELB has not been forthcoming with funding for this, despite clear parental demand.“

Tracey Cassells, principal at Barbour said: “Governors have made enquiries with the SEELB for a mobile in order to be able to take on more children, but have had an initial response that this is unlikely in the current economic climate. We share parents’ disappointment for their children in not being able to secure a place within statutory provision.”

Councillor Jonathan Craig hit out at the Minister for Education and Department for “once again failing the children of Lagan Valley”. He said: “It is clear that the Minister has learned nothing from the events of last year when many parents were left high and dry when they failed to secure places for their children in Nursery schools within their preferred locality.

“I know of many private Nursery schools willing to accept children pending the granting of funding by the Department for Education. I therefore urge that the Department act in releasing additional funds in order to assist anxious and angry parents.”

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Noleen Neill who has three daughters, one in primary school, another currently attending Barbour Nursery School and one due to begin at the nursery school in September, said: “I think it is a great preparation for primary school and excellent foundation for all subsequent learning. There is so much here to stimulate the children and they emerge mature and ready to learn. I believe this is a direct result of teacher led provision.”