Nursery fight goes to Downing Street

Plans to close the nursery are being opposed

Campaigners fighting to save a Wearside nursery school from being closed are going to Downing Street on Wednesday.

Five parents and governors and two children are taking a petition with 1,500 names opposing the plans to shut Oxclose Nursery School, in Washington.

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

The council says a fall in population means there are too many empty places in the two nurseries and it plans to create more places in other parts of the city where there is more demand.

Nursery review

The group from Oxclose is due to deliver the petition to Downing Street on Wednesday afternoon.

It has also received a message of support from former headteacher Ela Robinson who is now working in Bucharest.

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.