Rural Stirling nursery to close doors after Scottish Government give approval

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The Scottish Government has given the go-ahead to permanently close a rural Stirling nursery, which at times was attended by just one child.

In September Stirling Council’s children and young people committee voted unanimously - but “with regret” - to the doors of Crianlarich Nursery closing for good from August 2025, despite young children in future potentially facing a journey of 16 miles in either direction to access alternative nurseries.

And in recent days, the Scottish Government has confirmed it will not stand in the way of the closure.

A formal consultation had taken place earlier this year on the proposals which are expected to make staff savings of £110,000 per annum plus an additional saving of £2,000 per annum for maintenance, repairs and energy.

Council officers said falling numbers, projected numbers and recruitment issues were also behind their recommendation to close the facility.

In a letter to the council dated November 20, Orlando Heijmer-Mason, deputy director, Workforce, Infrastructure and Digital Learning Directorate for the Scottish Government, wrote: “Ministers have considered this proposal in line with the requirements set out in the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 (‘the 2010 Act’).

“Under section 17 of the 2010 Act, Ministers may only issue a call-in notice if it appears to them that the education authority may have failed: (a) in a significant regard to comply with the requirements imposed on it by (or under) the Act so far as they are relevant in relation to the closure proposal, or (b) to take proper account of a material consideration relevant to its decision to implement the proposal.”

The letter confirmed that only one representation had been lodged in the three week period from the date of the closure decision.

It added: “Having reviewed the documents provided by Stirling Council under section 15(2) and considered all relevant representations made under section 15(4), Ministers consider that Stirling Council has fulfilled its obligations under the 2010 Act and do not intend to issue a call-in notice for this proposal.

“Stirling Council may now implement its decision to close Crianlarich Nursery in line with the timescales set out in its proposal paper. As noted in Education Scotland’s report on the proposal, Stirling Council should continue to engage with stakeholders to address concerns around transport arrangements.”

The nursery provides early learning and childcare for children aged 2-5 in the village and surrounding areas.

While registered with the Care Inspectorate to provide 16 places for children aged 0-5 years, historically a significant percentage of children who accessed the nursery were said to have been cross boundary children resident in Argyll and Bute Council.

The roll of the nursery since 2018-19 has been: six Stirling children and five Argyll and Bute children in 2018-19 – 11 in total; four Stirling and seven A&B children in 2019-20 – 11 in total; two Stirling and two A&B children in 2020-21 – four in total; three Stirling and two A&B in 2021-22 – five in total; two Stirling and two A&B in 2022-23 – four in total; and two Stirling children and no A&B children in 2023-24 – a total of just two.

Updated information provided at the September committee meeting suggested that there would be two children in 2025, three in 2026 and no children in 2027, although it was accepted these numbers could change with families moving in and out of the area.

The nursery premises are attached to the Crianlarich Primary School building but operated separately.

From March 2023 there has been a critical staffing recruitment issue in the Crianlarich area, with vacant posts remaining unfilled.

In order to continue to provide a service to children attending Crianlarich Nursery, a temporary amalgamation of Crianlarich and Killin nurseries was put in place from March 6, 2023, with Crianlarich children attending Killin Nursery for their funded entitlement to ELC.

However, that is now to become a permanent arrangement.

At September’s committee meeting members had also agreed to include a suggestion by Conservative councillor for Trossachs and Teith ward, Martin Earl, that the current two existing and five potential attendees of the nursery continue to receive support for transportation to Killin Nursery beyond August 2025.

However, there is to be no “open ended commitment” to transport provision beyond those seven children over concerns it could set a precedent across the council’s entire nursery estate, with Councillor Earl agreeing that would be “unsustainable”.

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