Parents face 'huge' nursery bill after Scot council's cost-saving

The Herald Scotland

27-05-2025

From this year, there will be three intakes in Inverclyde, in August, January and April, which brings Inverclyde Council in line with the Scottish Government's funding - and saves them £70,000 a year.
Children who turn three between March 1 and August 31 will start in August 2025; those whose third birthday is between September 1 and December 31 will start in January; and those turning three between January 1 and the last day in February will start in April.
Up until now Inverclyde Council - along with other areas including Renfrewshire - had allowed three-year-old children able to take up their place on, or very soon after, their third birthday.
But the council says that significant financial pressures have now forced them to make the cuts.
Three years old miss out on nursery hours (Image: George Munro)
For many families, it means hours of nursery time will be lost, with one Port Glasgow mum telling the Tele it means her child - born on September 1 - will now have to wait four months until she can start nursery.
Despite Renfrewshire Council making a highly publicised U-turn following a huge backlash from parents, Inverclyde children will continue to be restricted to the three intakes a year.
Shocked mum Emily Thomson said: "I couldn't believe it when I realised my daughter would not be able to go to nursery until January.
"But my friend's child, born a few days earlier, can start in August.
"It seems very unfair on many children. It means my daughter will be missing out because of the date she was born.
"It is supposed to be for three and four year olds. But children born at certain times of the year are getting less hours than other children. That does not seem right.
"I think everyone is now realising it has changed.
"There will also be a huge childcare cost for some families.
"I just want my daughter to be able to start nursery at three years old with her peers.
'I am willing to pay for the place until January. The place is going to be there anyway. They can't give it to anyone else.
"But I was told that I would need to wait and see."
The Scottish Government introduced its flagship policy of 1,140 hours of fully-funded early years education and childcare for all three and four year olds in 2021, after some delays.
Ministers said the policy was intended to improve children's development, close the poverty gap, improve family wellbeing and increase parents' opportunities to work, train or study.
But in the report to the education and communities committee, Inverclyde officials admitted that as a result of the changes, some children will actually get fewer hours than they're entitled to.
Twenty-six per cent of those who took part in a survey on the issue said they feared it could cause either financial strain for working parents, impact on children's development, mean a reduced time in nursery for some, and 'create an unfair system'.
But despite this the committee voted to approve the change in approach at a meeting in November.
Education bosses in Inverclyde said they'd worked with other local authorities, including Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire, to implement the changes to the system.
However, earlier this month councillors in Renfrewshire voted to overturn the policy change which had cost families thousands of pounds and sparked a massive backlash.
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The picture elsewhere in Scotland is mixed, with neighbouring North Ayrshire only offering three intakes, while the country's largest local authority, Glasgow City Council, gives every child a place on the Monday after their third birthday.
An Inverclyde Council spokesperson said: 'We previously provided early years provision a month after a child's second/third birthday, which was above the national minimum.
'However, councils only receive government funding for early years provision for the term after a child's second/third birthday.
'Following a review of our admissions policy and due to significant financial pressures on the education budget, it was proposed that we would align with other areas in Scotland and provide the statutory minimum early years provision.
'This was approved by the education and communities committee in November 2024.'