Discussions planned to ensure nursery remains open

The number of pupils at Ashgate Nursery School fell in recent years

A council will discuss progress made at a Derby nursery to ensure it stays open after it was saved from closure.

Ashgate Nursery School was earmarked for closure on financial grounds, but last summer, it was agreed that Derby City Council would look at options to secure the nursery’s future.

Under plans made by the council to keep the nursery open in 2023, it said the "financial picture has improved".

Current progress and future plans will be discussed at a council cabinet meeting on Wednesday, to "ensure it can run sustainably in the future".

The city council said a plan was already in place to establish the nursery as a "centre of good practice in early child development, providing a high support programme for children with additional need".

The nursery suffered from the combined impact of the Covid pandemic and reducing numbers of children on roll, leading to "significant financial deficit" in the 2022-23 financial year.

The proposed closure was met with opposition during two consultations.

Since then, the council said it had worked together closely with the nursery's governing body to develop a set of options to allow it to "remain open, be sustainable and reduce their financial deficits".

Under a new plan set in 2023, the authority wanted to increase the number of children attending the nursery by providing places for younger children, aged from nine months, through the expansion of the national childcare offer.

The authority said the number of children attending the nursery had already increased "significantly" due to the changes.

As a result, the council said the nursery will recover its deficits by 2027-2028, due to financial improvements.

The local authority allocated £0.28m funding from the Early Years budget to develop a new model to ensure the nursery keeps its doors open.

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