Moray nursery cuts proposed as council registers pupils at Early Learning and Childcare settings

Parents registering their children for nurseries are being “misled” over plans to cut operating hours and reduce staff numbers.

That’s according to a local nursery assistant, who added that families are due to “miss out” on vital support when two of Moray’s four all-year-round nurseries cut their hours.

Moray Council is “consulting” staff on reducing opening times at Early Learning Childcare (ELC) facilities in Pilmuir and Lhanbryde. Hours are proposed to change from 8am-6pm to 9am-3pm, and the nurseries would only operate during term-time as of August 18.

That would leave only Linkwood and Seafield - both in Elgin - as the only council-run nurseries offering vital cover during school holidays.

Parents have been registering kids for nursery in August since Monday, January 13, but many are unaware of the proposed changes.

The assistant, who would prefer to remain nameless, said: “What are the working parents going to do?

“Families, including those with vulnerable children, will miss out on support and continuity of care.

“People are registering their kids now and many are choosing an all-year-round nursery so that they can continue to work.”

She added: “At the bottom of the registration form, in very small writing, it says, ‘these hours are subject to change' not that they ARE changing.

“Parents are requesting morning or afternoon or all day hours for their children, many because they require work cover. They are being misled.

“We can't even tell them what's going to happen! We are effectively having to lie to them with the disclaimer 'of course the hours may change'.”

Moray Council is reducing services to balance its budget for 2025/26, by finding savings of £12.7 million - as part of this, full council approved proposals to change ELC contractual terms and conditions.

Following the expansion to 1140 funded ELC hours in 2021, Moray Council is assessing the provision at the four all-year-round nurseries.

A local authority spokesperson explained: “The review is part of an ongoing effort to evaluate and potentially standardise operating hours in line with term-time services.

“As part of the ongoing review of nursery services, we regularly monitor the use of extended hours outside term time. The proposal to adjust these hours is based on this assessment, with specific details to be shared once the review is complete.

“Reduction in service follows monitoring of patterns of attendance through holiday periods.”

The council spokesperson pointed out that parents’ views are sought throughout the year and their choice of session times during registration.

She added: “If the proposals are implemented, parents will be informed as soon as possible to allow them to make alternative childcare arrangements.”

The nursery assistant also claimed that the ELC intervention team is being reduced from 12 staff to two for Moray.

She said: “Cutting all additional support needs (ASN) support is an absolute disgrace. One in four children now require additional support.

“They will still get 1140 funded hours but not the consistency of care for those with ASN that is currently offered. The impact on families, particularly with ASN or social needs is going to be disastrous.”

When asked about plans for ASN staff in Moray, the local authority spokesperson replied: “The current consultation does not impact on ASN staffing, which is dealt with separately.”

“It might be dealt with separately,” said the assistant, “but it is involved in the current consultation. The Early Years Education Service (EYES) team which supports early years has been cut dramatically.”

The spokesperson stated that nursery staff across Moray are being consulted about all of the proposed changes “directly through established Human Resources processes”.

The nursery assistant claimed this is not the case.

She said: “Consultation infers conversation, discussion and options. We haven't been consulted - we have just been told what's happening.

“Since we were told, we have received no other communication or reassurance.”

Reduction in staffing levels, changes to contracts and working hours is proposed to be “managed through natural employee turnover or employee reductions”.

The council spokesperson pledged to support affected staff and to try and find alternative employment within the local authority.

The assistant believes education “is being hammered” in Moray.

She finished: “None of the people making these decisions could do our job. Would local authority managers or executives accept a drop in their incomes of £10,000? Of course not.

“Early Years Education Service manager, Hazel Sly, said that there will be a public consultation regarding the changes. It won't make a difference - they’re going to happen.”