South Gloucestershire Council to extend Rocking Horse Nursery Lease
South Gloucestershire Council’s ruling Conservative Group today voting to extend the lease for the Rocking Horse Nursery until the end of the school year.
The nursery, based on the site of the former Grange School, was in conversation with the Council as early as January 2015, where they were informed that they would have to vacate if and when the Grange closed. They were then given six months’ notice to quit in June 2016. However, the Nursery did not tell parents any of this until September 2016, after having taken on a new year’s cohort.
Speaking of the extension Cllr Jon Hunt, Chair of the Children, Adults, and Health Committee said: “It wouldn’t be fair on the parents or the children at the nursery to force them to try to find alternative provision in the middle of a school year. Unfortunately they cannot stay at the Grange indefinitely because the buildings need to be demolished, but we have decided to offer an extension until the end of the school year to allow parents to find somewhere else for their children and for Rocking Horse to find alternative accommodation.”
The former school is on the boundary between the Parkwall and Siston wards.
Cllr Nick Barrett, Parkwall, said “I have had a lot of contact with parents about the potential closure of the Rocking Horse nursery and I back them 100%. At such a young age children need stability and it would not be right for such a disruption in the middle of a school year to take place. I am pleased to see that with a little bit of negotiation we have been able to come to a compromise.”
Cllr Ian Adams, Siston, said “As a parent of a child who went to the Rocking Horse Nursery school I can say that they run a very good nursery. Obviously the Grange now has to be demolished, but I hope that they are able to find suitable buildings to keep the nursery going and I will be working with officers to do what we can to help Rocking Horse do that, now that we have been able to extend the lease until the end of the school year.”
For more information please contact Simon Schofield on 01454864204 or Simon.Schofield@southglos.gov.uk