Fife cousins who started nursery together separated by new allocations process

‘Inseparable’ cousins face being parted as only one has been allocated a space to return to their nursery.

Merida Stephens is among 385 children not yet given a place at a Fife Council nursery from August.

She and Sophia Goldie, both 3, started Crossford Nursery together and mum Erica said she was safe, happy and confident at the school less than 100 yards from her home.

Fife Council has a new policy for allocating nursery places and has been bombarded with complaints from parents of children placed on waiting lists, offered places at a different nursery to the one they already attend or given unsuitable time slots.

Erica fears Merida will feel she is being punished in not being allowed to return to Crossford Nursery with Sophia.

She said: “The last thing I want to be telling her, in these already extremely uncertain and scary times for all our children, is that she will not be going back to her old nursery with her cousin, friends and nursery teachers she has grown to love so fondly.”

Working mum Erica also worries Merida, who is on a waiting list, will miss out on nursery even if she is offered a place elsewhere as her grandmother, who looks after her during the day, does not drive.

She said: “There has been no priority given to preschool children or existing pupils, resulting in children who are already settled in being uprooted and placed elsewhere or with no nursery placement at all, which is utterly devastating, especially for children in their final year of nursery,” she said.

Provision of early learning and childcare was due to increase from 600 hours to 1,140 hours from August but suspension of nursery construction and renovation has limited Fife Council’s ability to deliver the additional hours and the Scottish Government has relaxed the requirement.

The Courier asked whether a review would be conducted of the allocation process.

Education manager Jacqueline Price said any revisions once the process is complete would be put in place for next year but that there was a high level of success not being widely reported.

She said: “Of those allocated a placement, 85% received their first-choice nursery and session, 9.7% were offered their second choice and 3.1% were offered their third choice.

“A small minority have not been successful in gaining their preferred choices. These cases are generating much publicity which we are currently trying to manage.

“It is normal that we receive a number of concerns about placements at this point in the process.”

She said there were more placement concerns than normal, amid Covid-19 challenges, introducing the additional hours then that requirement being relaxed.

She added: “The situation has not been helped with communication issues, such as the timing of receiving letters and the ability to speak easily with head teachers about issues or concerns, as schools are currently closed.”

Nursery places were allocated in line with agreed council policy, she said, and individual concerns would be responded to as quickly as possible.

She said: “It’s also important to say that the allocation process is not yet complete, as there will be movement across nurseries as parents accept or refuse a place.”

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