No end in sight in nursery crisis

Cllr Dobson initially wrote to Ms Ruane outlining the frustration of those Waringstown parents unable to secure nursery school places for their children.

According to Ms Dobson, some parents have been encouraged to apply for places as far away as Newry, something which she regards as “frankly ridiculous”.

Ms Ruane’s response quoted figures and statistics which, according to the minister, justified the Department of Education’s decision to refuse a development proposal for a statutory nursery school for Waringstown in 2008.

The Minister stated: “Approval of the proposal may have had an adverse impact on uptake of places in the voluntary/private sector.”

However, there are concerns that out-of-date figures from 2007/08 are being used to justify the current denial of funding and therefore perpetuating the crisis.

Cllr Dobson said: “Parents are understandably angry and worried for their children who they are unable to send to statutory nursery school and were looking for encouragement and understanding from the Minister – they have received neither.”

Waringstown resident, Angela Parker, said: “It’s as if the Minister doesn’t understand that Waringstown residents pay the same taxes as everyone else. Yet people in other towns can get their children into nursery school and we can’t.”

In the coming weeks, Cllr Dobson will meet the SELB as well as the local residents and hopes to spearhead a fresh application for Nursery provision in Waringstown.

She said: “The Minister has failed to provide even a glimmer of hope on this issue and I feel a re-application is the only way of ensuring that the views of Waringstown residents are heard.”