Tooting: Lavender Nursery parents face 'massive problem', says petition founder

The mother who started a petition to keep Lavender Nursery says parents face a "massive problem" if it is to go for good.

Tessa Strampfer-Kinsey, who has her child at the nursery, began the petition to try and prevent the Lavender Nursery from being changed into a property for Merton Medical Education Services (MMES) and has since raised 391 signatures as of lunchtime July 6.

The site, located at London Road, Mitcham, currently provides childcare five days a week between the times of 8am-6pm for 50 weeks of the year. They have 80 children attending part-time, 48 full-time and there is also an extensive waiting list, as per the petition.

The consultation process

As you can read from the consultation on the Merton website , The changes will see MMES - part of Melbury College - take over the current nursery and act as a secondary school for children who are unable to attend mainstream school due to medical or mental health needs.

The nursery currently has a mixture of children who are eligible for free nursery education (80 children) and some who are fee-paying (48). The new provisions will mean that the council will find a new venue for the 80 children who qualify for free nurseries and close the section which allows for fee-paying children. This will not be implemented until August 2021, ready for the September 2021 new school year.

As a response to the consultation process, there were 221 objections to the plans and just 19 favourable responses, but the council still plan to carry out the plans.

Amongst the objections were staff, past parents and current parents, with some describing it as a "huge loss" or "devastating". On the other side of the coin, those who supported the plans mentioned how the current facilities are not fit for purpose and that a safe outside space is vital for these children.

You can read the responses in full from the Merton Council website.

The petition founder's opinion on why it must stay

Speaking to Nub News , Ms Strampfer-Kinsey was very passionate in her reasoning for wanting the nursery to stay, claiming that this nursery was not like any others and that there is a big problem for finding nurseries for children in this area.

Additionally, she believes that MMES do need a new site - just not at the expense of Lavender Nursery.

She said: "It's a purpose-built, SureStart building, designed specifically as a building for early education - it's not built for older children.

"The staff are also unbelievable. It's so brilliant and such a great environment.

"Recently a nursery called Funky Owls shut down and there aren't many childminders. I have to take mine to Colliers Wood - and childminders are not comparable to nursery education.

"The children are so well cared for; there is such great diversity.

"It's very multicultural, there are brilliant activities and I've never experienced a nursery like it.

"I attended a different nursery and private was so much different. Staff were not on the same level.

"There is just a much higher standard and it follows more of a school-based education system.

"This pushes problems to private nurseries which are all oversubscribed. The council claims there is a lower birth rate - but we don't see that, there are babies everywhere.

"It just feels like a short-term decision. It will leave a massive problem for parents.

"MMES deserve a purpose-built location for older children in order to accommodate the growing demand for these services, one which will allow them to grow in the future, not somewhere they will outgrow quickly."

What Merton Council has said

In response to the petition, Nub News asked Merton Council whether the strong response will affect its plans.

Eleanor Stringer, joint deputy leader for the council, said: "We understand that some local parents are concerned about the plans to use the Lavender Nursery site for Merton Medical Educational Services to meet the increasing demand for specialist services, including vital mental health support, for the growing number of pupils who cannot remain in secondary school.

"We always promised to continue to offer the 80 funded places for 2-year-olds in local council-run facilities. Following the earlier consultation with parents of young children, we now want to engage with nursery parents on the option of keeping a council-run day-care nursery at another local children or families' centre, with admissions based on need.

"This reflects our values to support the most vulnerable and should also ensure that all existing families at the nursery have the option of keeping their child in the local council-run nursery."

If you want to read more or sign the petition, you can do so on the change.org website.

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