Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2019 to question 222631, for what reasons his Department did not refer to whether his Department has made an estimate of the cost to other public services in areas where maintained nursery schools have closed in that Answer.

Like all schools, a maintained nursery school (MNS) can close for a wide range of reasons, and closures can happen at any time.

There is a statutory process for closing a MNS, and if it does close, the provision that replaces it must be of equal quality, preserve expertise and be more accessible and convenient for parents. The closure of a MNS may result in the staff and children transferring to another provider. The department does not hold information on the impact on other services in an area where MNS have closed.