Parents worried by potential SEND nursery closures

A mum has said "vulnerable children will suffer" over a council's proposal, which could see four specialist nurseries in Leicestershire close.

Leicestershire County Council has launched a consultation on a plan to give extra funding to mainstream nurseries instead of commissioning specialist nursery places for children with complex needs.

It said the move, which if approved would be implemented by September 2027, would allow families to access SEND provision in communities closer to home.

However, 32-year-old Zenobia, who has two daughters with special educational needs, said the authority could not make children "conform into a box that doesn't fit them".

Zenobia's eldest daughter, four-year-old Florence, previously attended Sketchley Hill Menphys Nursery School in Hinckley which is affected by the planned closures.

She said the school provided Florence with "her voice", as she was non-verbal when starting there, and emerged being able to communicate.

"We tried mainstream provisions, but they weren't equipped for my child which is fair enough," Zenobia said.

"But picking your child up crying every single day is soul destroying."

She now fears for her youngest daughter, two-year-old Eloise, who has a place at Sketchley Hill.

"I think I would have to keep her at home [if the closures go ahead] because I've seen the knock-on effect of the trauma that is caused by settings that can't meet a need," Zenobia said.

Rebecca, 44, has a son, George, aged three, who attends Lift Beacon in Loughborough, which is also potentially affected.

"The nurseries are very crucial to children when they first start, it sets them up for school," she said.

Rebecca said children who have special educational needs, such as her own, required a lot more one-to-one support and she was concerned that a mainstream nursery could not provide that.

"It's also going to impact children without disabilities... if all that time and attention is being taken away for a child with additional needs, I feel it just won't work all round," she said.

"They need to be opening more specialist nurseries, not shutting them."

The county council said it currently commissions SEND nursery places from three providers at four different locations:

• Sketchley Hill Menphys Nursery School in Hinckley
• Wigston Menphys Nursery School in Wigston
• Oasis Retreat in Melton Mowbray
• Lift Beacon in Loughborough

Under the proposed changes, these places would no longer be commissioned, and instead there would be extra funding for mainstream nurseries.

This includes a new funding band of £10 per hour for children with complex needs, in addition to the government-funded free hours entitlement for nursery provision.

The council said it was looking at making these changes now because of an increase in the number of early years children with additional needs.

Councillor Charles Pugsley, lead member for children and families, said that some families under the current system had to travel far to access the specialist nurseries which was "inconvenient".

"Also, there are simply not enough places at specialist nurseries available to meet the needs of all children with additional needs," he added.

The consultation on the proposed changes, which can be found here, will last until 22 February 2026.

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