The Parks Special Nursery School in Oakham is set to close, following a two-year review which has concluded that the provision is no longer viable. 

However, a group of parents, teachers and local people are standing against this decision, determined to 'Save the Parks School', which is Rutland's only state funded specialist setting.

The Parks is a registered nursery school located within Oakham Church of England (CE) Primary Academy but maintained by Rutland County Council (RCC). The Parks offers support for children with moderate and severe learning difficulties, as well as support for speech, language and communication, autism and physical disabilities.

However, on 11 January 2024, the council made the decision to close the facility - which came as a huge blow to students, staff and parents and guardians who have relied upon the school.

Parents, students and staff protested the closure in November 2023. Image credit: Nub News.

Parents have accused the council of denying children who need held, despite RCC saying that "All children currently being taught at The Parks are of primary school (reception) age. There are no children accessing a special nursery place this academic year and the Council is not aware of any children of nursery age needing specialist nursery provision from September 2024.   

"Following a review of The Parks by a group of independent SEND (Special Education Needs and Disabilities) professionals, which took place over two and a half years, it was identified that there were issues with the operational sustainability of the provision. Places at The Parks cost substantially more than SEND support in mainstream settings and the nursery has very small pupil numbers, making it increasingly unviable."

Students and parents argued that the school offered an opportunity to thrive, where mainstream settings may not. Image credit: Nub News.

However, Save the Parks School Action Group is not satisfied with this outcome, and is raising funds to fight the decision by the local council.

The team shared a rundown of who they are and what they hope for the future of the school:

Who are we?

Save the Parks Special School is an action group made up of professionals and parents of children with SEND who attend or have attended the Parks School.

Summary 

Rutland County Council decided at a caninet meeting to close the Parks School. This leaves Rutland's most vulnerable children with no state maintained specialist setting at all! 

Call to action 

We need the help of the general public to raises the legal fees so that we can fight this decision.

What are we trying to achieve? 

We want RCC to reverse their decision! Disabled children are some of the most vulnerable in our communities and as we know, it takes a village to raise a child! 

What is the next step in the case?

We will be asking a judge to look at how RCC conducted the consultation, what steps they took to prevent the closure and ultimately prevent the closure.

How much I am raising and why?

Initially, £5,000, but this figure will rise. We will update the page as we know more.

Many humble thank yous,

The Save the Parks Action Group

Find out more on the group's Crowd Justice page, where you can also donate. At the time of writing, the group have so far raised £1,190 of a £5,000 target - and with only 21 days left to go, they are calling for local support.

Get in touch to share your fundraising initiatives, local charities and news from in and around Rutland by emailing [email protected].