Mum’s anger at nursery closure (From York Press)

Mum’s anger at York College nursery closure

9:10am Tuesday 23rd October 2012 in News By Mike Laycock, Chief reporter

A MOTHER has criticised York College’s proposal to keep its nursery closed – and also criticised the way it informed parents of the closure by email and letter – following a child’s tragic death.

Karen Harrison said the decision would be hugely disruptive to her daughter, who has attended the day nursery for about three years, and also many other children.

And she said she believed parents should have been invited to a meeting to be told about the decision face to face, giving them a chance to ask questions and give their views on the closure.

The college announced on Friday that it was proposing not to reopen the nursery, which has been shut since September 17, when Lydia Bishop died after being found on an outdoor slide with a rope around her neck.

Mrs Harrison, from York, said she had “muddled through” with the help of family and a very understanding employer, in the expectation the nursery would reopen after half term, but she had now been left scrambling to find a place at a suitable alternative nursery.

“We felt we should be loyal to the nursery and staff, following the tragic death of the little girl,” she said.

“However we now feel completely and utterly dumped on.

“They have absolutely no idea of the implications of their actions. They have wiped out almost three years of trust and continuity of a child’s life. Hasn’t enough devastation been caused without now this, which affects so many children.”

A college spokeswoman said it released information at the earliest possible moment to remove the current state of uncertainty and provide them with as much time as possible to make alternative arrangements.

“The college informed parents in the letter that the Family Information Service will contact them this week to invite them to an optional session, which will provide opportunity for individual face-to-face conversations,” she said. “These conversations will necessarily focus on childcare options and not the reasons behind the proposals.”

She said the college appreciated many parents would be very disappointed by the proposal, which was made with reluctance.