Pre-school to shut

The Blackbird Leys Pre-School has prepared thousands of children for primary school from its base in Moorbank since 1986.

But on July 23 the facility will shut permanently after five local primary schools changed admissions policy, allowing youngsters to leapfrog pre-school completely.

The decision means the pre-school will lose up to £60,000 in funding per year - forcing it to close and four staff to find new jobs.

It has also raised questions over whether the closure will lead to a shortage of pre-school places across the whole estate.

Sonia Denmark, one of several mums upset about the closure, said: "I am gutted. I have had four children who come here and they have all benefited. It is such a shame. The staff are fantastic with the kids."

The decision to close the pre-school was made at a meeting last week.

It was because headteachers at the five local primary schools decided to admit pupils on the first term after their third birthday - at least one term earlier than before.

Parents and staff fear the decision will force tots into mainstream primary schools too early - and could threaten the estate's other pre-school, Shepherd's Hill.

The decision means 40 children a day, who would normally spend one term at the pre-school, will now go straight to the primary schools' nurseries.

Government funding will also now head to primary schools instead.

Sarah Pearson, the pre-school's manager, said: "We have all worked so hard to get this pre-school to where it is today.

"I just feel the local schools do not care. They are not putting the children first, they are putting the schools and the financial side of it first.

"They are pushing the children into schools too early and not giving parents a choice."

The five primary schools concerned - Windale, Pegasus, Church Cowley St James, Orchard Meadow and St John Fisher - have always had the right to accept pupils into their nurseries from the first term after a child turns three.

But the schools had always admitted children at least one term later until deciding on the change early last month.

None of the schools, or Oxfordshire County Council, could provide an explanation as to why they had decided to change admissions policy.

A spokesman said: "The county council does not hold information on how each individual school applies the nursery admissions policy locally."

But Ms Pearson said the move would allow each school to claim £536 per child per term in Government funding.

And she did not think there would be enough places at the schools' nurseries to serve the whole estate.

The county council insisted there was no evidence of a shortage of places, but it would monitor the situation to check there were sufficient spaces.

Tina Speke, from Brambling Way, whose son Eli, two, was due to start at the pre-school in September, said: "It is not going to be fair on Eli.

"He needs his one-on-one time and I could guarantee he would get it here."

Jo Rooney, manager of Shepherd's Hill Pre-School - the only other pre-school on the estate, described the primary schools' move as "bad news" and added: "In the long-term we could end up in the same boat."