Parents 'scared and worried' about potential Dumfries and Galloway nursery closures

Parents say closures will have a huge impact on the communities the nursery schools support. Credit: ITV Border

Parents in Dumfries and Galloway are calling on the council to carefully consider it's decision on the future of five nurseries.

Last week parents were contacted to say nursery provision would be paused at schools in Collin, Creetown, Drummore, Kirkowan and Dumfries.

The council said nursery aged children attending these settings should be enrolled at different schools, due to projections of fewer than 10 children at each site.

However, on Friday, the authority apologised and announced the plans will now go to consultation before any closures were confirmed.

But parents say they have been left "terrified" that the provision they have grown to rely on will be taken from them following that process.

Erika says the nursery was a 'lifeline' after her husband passed away. Credit: ITV Border

Erika Jermyn moved from Lincolnshire to a village near Creetown with her husband Rob and their two children, Duncan and Tom, in 2018.

In 2024, following a cancer diagnosis, Rob died and Erika was left looking after her two very young children on her own in an area that she was still relatively new to.

Erika works in antiques and she says she had to rely on the nursery so that she could continue working to earn a living following her husband's death.

She says although she considered moving back down south to be closer to her family, the support she received from the nursery and the community played a huge part in her decision to stay.

Erika said the potential closures came with "no warning" and she felt "shocked, scared and worried" when she first heard the news.

Erika said: "Duncan was only 18 months old when his dad passed and he obviously didn't understand where his dad went. And it did affect him quite badly. Really bad night time nightmares, screaming for his dad. He was very, very clingy towards me. I couldn't leave the room without him wanting to come with me.

"As a self-employed mum, I had to carry on working. So as soon as he turned two, he joined nursery. And they know me. Everyone, all the teachers know me. They know what I've been through, what's happened, what these two have been through.

"And they helped. They helped immensely. So they were my lifeline basically."

The nursery at Creetown Primary School was one of the nurseries marked for closure. Credit: ITV Border

It's a feeling that is echoed by many people who send their children to the same nursery.

At the school gates today one parent said: "I think they've realised that they made a monumental mistake when it comes to trying to phone parents and just ask them if they're willing to send kids anywhere else."

"I was upset," said another parent. "My other two children go here and if the nursery shuts there's no way I'm going to get them there and get the other daughter to Newton Stewart - and I don't drive so I've got no way of doing it!"

Another said: "The way it was handled was not right. It's very short sighted as well because if they're talking about wanting families with young children to move into the area, that's not going to encourage them if there's no nursery for the little ones for working parents, not ideal.

"The whole way it was handled it just caused so much stress and upset," she added.

The local MSP says the closure of schools and nurseries will accelerate rural decline. Credit: ITV Border

The Conservative MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Finlay Carson, says schools and nurseries play a critical role in maintaining rural populations and potential.

He says that if education settings are taken away from these areas then there is less incentive for people to move there, resulting in rural decline.

Speaking to ITV Border, he said: "The council themselves just published a report about rural depopulation and at the core of that was how damaging the removal of some services from villages can be. There's a domino effect.

"So to announce the closure of these nurseries without doing any consultation, without looking at the consequences of closing a nursery, is completely unacceptable."

The council has apologised to parents and says it will now run a consultation before any nursery provision is paused. Credit: ITV Border

On Friday, Dumfries and Galloway council apologised for "confusion and upset" caused by communications around nursery provision at the five small nurseries in the region.

Cllr Tracey Little, Chair of Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Education, Skills and Community Wellbeing committee, said: "Following the recent nursery enrolment process, six council-run nurseries were identified as having projected rolls of fewer than 10 children. In response, the council moved to pause provision at five nursery settings from August 2026 and offer families alternative places at nearby nurseries.

"Although this action was taken in good faith and is consistent with Scottish Government guidance on temporary closures, we now acknowledge that it does not reflect the expectation that was set by what was presented to the public and elected members at Full Council on 26 February 2026.

"The agreed position, as set out in the 2026/27 budget, was to undertake statutory consultation on the future of very small council-run nurseries with low enrolment. That consultation has not yet taken place.

"We have reviewed our approach to ensure it aligns with the democratic decision taken by elected members and the expectations of our communities. 

"No final decisions have been made about the long-term future of any nursery setting and plans to temporarily close the five nursery settings will now not go ahead.

"Going forward, the council will undertake formal statutory consultation on the future of each of the five nursery settings. The outcome of the statutory consultation process will inform the council’s next steps."

It added that that council is committed to working to ensure that every nursery and school is the right size, in the right location, and able to deliver the best possible learning experiences for children and young people.

But Erika says the nursery that supported her family is more than just a learning environment.

She said: "I need to tell my story so that these councillors know that our rural schools are not just a place for our children to get an education, but to receive a personal experience from the amazing teachers who support us families and communities."

She says she wants to "show others that if you stick together, it can make you stronger."

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