Pre-school in need of a home

Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School, in Oxford Road, Cowley, is consulting on proposals to move to a site in Cricket Road, next door to Catholic secondary St Gregory the Great School.

But it has emerged the proposed move does not include Our Lady’s Pre-school, which rents a room at the primary but operates independently.

Nursery supervisor Maria O’Connor said: “I can understand why they need to move, but for us it means we will close down.

“At the consultation meeting I asked what happens to education for three to four-year-olds and the answer was they didn’t know.

“It is a massive concern for my staff and the parents, so the feeling is panic.”

The pre-school has 48 children on roll and a waiting list of 150. All places are fully funded.

About half the pupils attending the pre-school are Catholic, and 60 to 70 per cent go on to the primary.

Mrs O’Connor said: “They have advised me to start looking for new premises.

“I do totally understand they need to move because the school isn’t big enough but, considering they are moving to bigger premises, “I am a bit upset we cannot move with them.”

The consultation goes on until Friday, June 1, with governors to take a decision on whether to proceed soon afterwards. A date has not been set for the move but it could be as soon as September 2013.

Mrs O’Connor said she was collecting consultation responses from parents and so far all had said they did not want to move.

She appealed for anyone who could suggest a new home for the pre-school to come forward.

She said: “Everything in our pre-school we have paid for.

“We just rent the room but all the equipment and fittings are ours, so we have got everything ready to set up.

“If there was a classroom somewhere that would be ideal for us, but every time I speak to someone they say you don’t know if it’s moving yet, which makes things difficult.”

No-one from Our Lady’s Primary School was available for comment.

The pre-school can be contacted on 01865 749629.