Lack of available ‘appropriate and accessible’ nursery and primary school places in Derry highlighted

The lack of available “appropriate and accessible” nursery school and primary one places in Derry has been highlighted by Derry City and Strabane District councillor Catherine McDaid (SDLP).

Speaking at Friday afternoon’s reconvened January Council meeting, Cllr McDaid said she had been contacted on the issue by a number of concerned constituents because the deadline for applications to nursery and primary schools was last week.

“A number of people have been in contact about the lack of appropriate and accessible places within their own local area,” said Cllr McDaid, who added the situation was “particularly challenging” for working parents. 

She said: “One parent got in touch with me to say they are both teachers so both of them need to be in school to teach at 8.45am. They already know they are not going to get a place in the nursery at the school where they teach because of the high number of applications that are received every year.

“This situation is particularly difficult for children with additional needs because the statementing process cannot start until the child is in nursery school. So, even if a child has difficulties with transition, with changes, with adapting, that is not even considered until they are in nursery school.”

Cllr McDaid said she also wanted to highlight the financial challenges the lack of nursery and primary one school places presents.

“As a working parent I know myself that I paid for full full-time child care until my boys were going to nursery school. Then, I had to continue paying for full-time child care because I had to get them dropped off to school by a childminder because I had to be at work before the nursery school started,” said Cllr McDaid.

“I think it's just another challenge in regards to the lack of child care support that we get as working parents.

“It is something that needs to be highlighted and something that I intend to highlight right to the Department of Education. I believe, when a child is born, there should be funding put in place and it should follow them through their lifetime.

There's no reason why a parent should be driving past their local primary or nursery school to take their child to another one. It just doesn't make sense.

“It’s not accessible and I wanted to highlight it. I'm sure other people have had the same concerns raised by their own constituents because of the time of year,” she said.

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Supporting Cllr McDaid, Alderman Niree McMorris (DUP) said her party had been “very vocal” about getting child care provision for mothers who work.

She added: “Every child should have and be able to access that provision.

“I just wanted to point out there are actually some schools who set their own criteria for admissions and there are a lot of schools where the children of parents who work at the school get priority. 

“This issue is something that is raised on a regular basis with myself.

“I know one of the local primary schools in the Waterside which is advocating to get more full-time spaces within the nursery. 

“I know it's a resourcing issue as well but the more spaces we can create in nursery provision, allows the economic benefit for people to be able to go work.”