PLANS are afoot to merge a Kidlington nursery with one of the village’s primary schools.

Oxfordshire County Council is planning to merge West Kidlington Nursery School with West Kidlington Primary School.

The council says the merger should now go ahead because grants to the nursery have been withdrawn and it no longer has a workable budget.

In a statement on the merger, the county council said: “If the school and nursery remain separate there would be no immediate change to pupils, parents and staff on a practical level.

“However, it is likely that the duplication of administrative time and work in running two separate establishments would increasingly become an unnecessary financial drain on the governing body.”

In 2012 the Government introduced the Early Years Single Funding Formula, which meant that funding is based on enrolment rather than the number of places on offer. This means there is now no longer a financial advantage to running nursery and primary schools in parallel.

West Kidlington Primary School, which has nearly 400 children on its roll, already shares a headteacher and governing body with the nursery and the change would be administrative.

Both schools are based in Oxford Road.

The county council has pledged that there would be “no noticable change” for parents, children and teaching staff from a merger.

County councillor for Kidlington South Maurice Billington said: “As long as it stays open I think it is going to be fine. It is a well-used nursery and I gave them a grant a couple of years ago.

“If the merger allows the nursery to stay open I think it would be a good thing.”

The county council has launched a public consultation on the proposals, which runs until October 21.

Once this finishes the responses will be evaluated and a decision will be made either by cabinet member for education Melinda Tilley or by the council’s entire cabinet.

A final decision is expected to be made in March 2015.

To comment on the proposals, visit myconsultations.oxfordshire.gov.uk

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