Murdered girl's mother helps nursery

Sharon Henderson says she has many memories of the school

The mother of a girl murdered 11 years ago is backing a fight to save the nursery school where she used to be a pupil.

Sunderland City Council is planning to close Cork Street Community Nursery, in Hendon, and Oxclose Nursery, in Washington.

It says a fall in population means there are too many empty places in the two nurseries.

More places would be created in other parts of the city where there is more demand.

Parents staged a demonstration on Wednesday at Cork Street Nursery as education officials visited the schools to hear their views.

Among them was Sharon Henderson whose daughter Nikki Allan was found murdered in Sunderland in October 1992 when she was seven.

Nikki had been a pupil at Cork Street Nursery, along with Ms Henderson's three other children.

The mother said: "This is the heart of the community, this nursery, and it brings so many memories of me and Nikki in this nursery.

Nikki Allan was found murdered in October 1992

"It was a good place for my four children that had been coming here for 10 years. So it is part of my life.

"I would be very upset. It is a place I am still welcome to visit and it is just so many memories and I want to keep those memories."

Judith Pearson, whose son Kevin goes to Cork Street Nursery, said she wanted the school to stay open.

She said: "They have done wonders for my son. Since he started here he has learnt a lot and he loves coming to nursery every day."

Introduce fairness

Cork Street nursery headteacher Jill Sansom said both current and parents from the past had voiced their support for the school.

She said: "The staff are absolutely delighted that parents, not only current parents but parents from a long way back, have felt strongly enough to support us through letters and telephone calls and also by coming down to make their feelings known."

The council announced the proposals at the end of September following a review of nursery school places and consultation with headteachers and governors.

It said nursery provision in the city is inconsistent at the moment with children being able to take up nursery places at different ages in different parts of the city.

A consultation process is now under way before a final decision is made.