Redundancy fears as pre-school told to relocate

A pre-school in Nottinghamshire has been told to relocate into a "considerably smaller" building, leaving its manager "heartbroken" at the prospect of having to make staff redundant.

Little Nippers Pre-School, which provides childcare for children aged two to four, has been based in the main building of Python Hill Academy, in Rainworth, since 2006.

But the pre-school has been told it must move to another building on site by 1 August, which manager Nikki Revill said was "unsuitable".

The Forge Trust, which runs the academy, said the alternative location was suitable and would reduce the childcare provider's "dependence" on school opening hours due to it being a separate building.

Ms Revill said she would have to reduce both staff and children numbers if the pre-school's committee agreed to the move.

"How do you say to one child 'yes you can relocate with us, but you can't'... it would be catastrophic and it just wouldn't work," she said.

The pre-school's current base has a large room, kitchenette, child-friendly toilets and two conservatories, and serves 51 children.

The alternative location put forward by the academy trust is the old caretaker's house.

According to Ms Revill, only the downstairs of the building would be usable for classroom space because the upstairs does not have any toilet provision and the stairs are too steep to be safe for young children.

She added there is only one "medium-sized" classroom with adult-sized toilets.

Ms Revill said an agreement between the pre-school and trust meant it could not be asked to leave the school premises until at least 2039, but it could be relocated elsewhere on the site.

She added the trust had previously attempted to move the pre-school to the old caretaker's house in 2018 and 2021.

A spokesperson for The Forge Trust confirmed that, after an "analysis of the needs of the school," it took the decision to serve notice on Little Nippers Pre-school.

They added: "The Trust is seeking a positive working relationship with the group and appreciates that change can often be difficult.

"The [alternative] space offers great opportunities for accessing our grounds, and we have committed to ensure that any improvements we identify are carried out ahead of time."

The Forge Trust also said that, "despite only being obliged" to provide a week's notice of relocation, it had provided over four months of notice.

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