By Lauren Monaghan, Junior Local Democracy Reporter
A primary school in a rural south Nottinghamshire village will start providing more early years school places to younger children after council approval today.
Kinoulton Primary School is located in Kinoulton, a small village in Rushcliffe borough.
The school currently only allows for school places for children aged between four and 11 years old, with a report to Nottinghamshire County Council on Friday (August 16) requesting it be allowed to extend places to include three-year-olds.
It is the only school in the area that does not currently provide provision for children in Foundation Stage one, which refers to the non-compulsory year of education for small children aged three to four.
The proposal will allow the primary school to provide full day care for pre-school aged children and include ‘wrap around’ care services – between 7:30am to 6pm.
A four-week representation period ran from May 23 to June 20 this year that asked Kinoulton people to give their opinions on the proposal, in which nearly 57 per cent of respondents voted in favour of the school accommodating three-year-olds.
The report read: “The school is keen to provide opportunities for three-year-old
children to start at their local village school earlier than in previous years.
“This will provide smooth transitions and continuity of learning as the Foundation Stage 1 children will be integrated into the whole school community, learning, ethos and values.
“They will be offered and be part of a curriculum that is broad, balanced and exciting and that establishes good routines in both learning and behaviour which will be carried throughout the school.”
The new places will be on a first-come-first-served basis.
With the approved proposal, the school could start welcoming pre-school childreen from the spring term 2025.
