Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Councillor’s anger over deferral
A Coatbridge councillor has hit out at North Lanarkshire’s ruling Labour group over a U-turn meaning children whose families are deferring their primary school start this summer will now not automatically receive funding for their additional year at nursery.
Councillors agreed in June that “any application to defer the Primary One start of a child whose birthday falls between September [and] February will be granted, with a further year’s nursery funding to be provided”.
However, while the intake’s youngest pupils born in January and February will still have the additional year funded as at present, the widened policy is not now being implemented for 2020-21 on cost grounds.
An affordability study is instead being carried out, after education committee members were advised that it could cost up to £15 million per year if all eligible pupils – those still aged four by the start of the school year – took up the deferral option.
Coatbridge North councillor Allan Stubbs says the administration is “playing politics with the futures of North Lanarkshire’s children”; but education convener Frank McNally insists that any unbudgeted new policy would have to be similarly examined after being agreed “in principle”.
A spokesperson for campaign group Give Them Time, which lobbies for nursery funding for all youngsters deferring school entry, said: “Parents feel completely let down.”
“We feel we have been deliberately misled and given that the old, awful policy remains, there is no ambition to get it right for fouryear-olds who need more time before going to school. Parents are really anxious and don’t have faith in the council to put children’s needs before finance.”
SNP representative Councillor Stubbs proposed the motion, which gained support from the Conservatives with the inclusion of a request for Scottish Government funding – but says it was not conditional on receiving extra money.
He told the Advertiser: “The figures are based on 100 per cent uptake, but it’s completely unreasonable that all eligible children would defer.
“People wanted this implemented in January and it was confirmed both at the meeting and since that this would go ahead regardless of the response from the Scottish Government.
“Nobody knows if a child is ready for school better than their mum and dad, but if families don’t have the money they may have no choice but to send the child to school.”
“Labour have allowed parents to think that it was going to be implemented, but are just putting it off.”
Nursery funding for deferred Septemberto-December pupils is due to be discussed at Holyrood and with local government organisation Cosla, but is currently at councils’ discretion.
Councillor McNally said: “There was broad agreement from all members on the principle, so there was no need to divide on the original motion; and as all motions have to have an identified budget, a feasibility study would have to have been undertaken anyway.
“We’d been waiting on the clarification from the Scottish Government about funding – it was impossible to know the requirements for implementing until then, but they’ve confirmed there will be no support, which is deeply disappointing.
“The education committee will have a paper next month outlining the options and costs; the council’s budget is fully committed for the year and for any motion which hasn’t been through the process, there has to be a full financial appraisal.
“I can understand that frustration from parents; but while it’s not automatic, a high percentage of young people who apply for deferred entry have been approved.”
Parents are really anxious and don’t have faith in the council to put children’s needs before finance Give Them Time