Leicester Mercury

£900k revamp for nursery

MAJOR INVESTMENT

- By STAFF REPORTER

AN “OUTSTANDIN­G” nursery for children with special educationa­l needs and disabiliti­es (Send) will soon have a £900,000 revamp.

Pindar Road specialist day nursery, in New Parks, Leicester, offers tailored support for up to 34 children with complex needs, from the ages of two to five.

The nursery is set to benefit from new facilities in an £895,000 refurbishm­ent programme, organised and approved by Leicester City Council, using money from the council’s capital budget.

New classrooms and changing facilities will be created, as well as outdoor teaching spaces for each class, creating opportunit­ies for messy play and outdoor learning. The playground area will also be worked on, and a new entrance to the building, staff room and offices will be created.

The nursery is run by the city council and has been rated as outstandin­g by Ofsted since 2008.

The work will take place in stages, so that high-quality provision for children who currently use the nursery will be maintained on the site, with disruption kept to a minimum while the work is carried out.

All of the work should be completed by spring 2023.

All of the children who use the nursery attend part-time, with many of them also attending mainstream nurseries part-time, so that they get a chance to socialise more widely with other children.

Assistant city mayor for education, Councillor Elly Cutkelvin, said: “We’re very proud of our Ofsted-outstandin­g special needs nursery at Pindar Road.

“We know that the staff who work here are extremely dedicated and strive to always provide the best opportunit­ies for children with complex special educationa­l needs and disabiliti­es.

“We want to make sure our staff have the right environmen­t to help stimulate and foster learning. “That’s why we’re investing in this major refurbishm­ent programme to ensure the nursery provision here remains of the highest possible quality.

“We are extremely excited about this project and the positive impact it will have on the lives of Send children and their families across Leicester.” The nursery is on a site that also includes the council’s Early Years Support Centre.

This helps staff to assess and plan appropriat­e care for special needs children from a very early age, helping to ensure they get the most from their educationa­l journey, right from the beginning.

IN ‘OUTSTANDIN­G’ SPECIAL NEEDS FACILITIES

We are extremely excited about this project and the positive impact it will have on the lives of Send children

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