Parents at a north-east nursery school have been told that council bosses can’t afford to fund new play equipment.
Letters were sent to parents of children at Ellon Primary School’s nursery from the deputy head teacher, Yvonne O’Neil, to explain that three proposed bids for play equipment had been “pulled” by Aberdeenshire Council.
The addition of new indoor and outdoor play equipment had been planned, in addition to upgrades to the existing sensory room.
Parents had been consulted on the plans on how best to utilise the spaces and the work was expected to be carried out before Easter.
Mrs O’Neil said she was “extremely disappointed” to see the project fail.
“We believe we must always strive for improvement and these bids would have allowed us to create a greater play environment,” she said.
“I have tried my best and explored all options, but at present Aberdeenshire Council cannot fund any early years spending.”
Just weeks ago, parents received a newsletter from Mrs O’Neil dated January 15, in which she reported on a visit from the head of service and other council officers who were said to be “delighted with the vision of the nursery”.
The creation of a new sensory room should still go ahead later in the year.
Ellon councillor Isobel Davidson said she believes the school’s proposed improvements will still go ahead, though not to the original time scale.
“I think this has been a misunderstanding and the letter is not quite giving the whole picture,” the councillor said.
“My understanding is that there has been a procurement issue.
“The funding is in place and it should still go ahead, but perhaps not in time for this term.”
Aberdeenshire Council voted through its budget earlier this month and included £17.4million for nursery education across the region.
This had been increased by last minute extra funding of £200,000, following an agreement between the Green Party and the SNP.
When asked to comment on the halting of the project, an Aberdeenshire Council spokesman said: “The Scottish Government’s aspiration for Early Years is that parents and carers will have access to 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare for all three and four-year-olds by 2020.
“We are working through a programme of improvements and all schools involved, including Ellon Primary, will have suitable and appropriate resources in sufficient time for any increased funded hours.”