East Renfrewshire Council’s decision to reject applications from parents for their preferred nursery placements has been branded “a disaster” by working mums. 

Many of those seeking to make the most of extra funded hours by securing attendance times which suit them have been left disappointed with their allocation. 

Among them is single mum Ashley Marks, who has worked full-time as a nurse throughout the Covid pandemic.

Last year, her son Theo was given five afternoons per week at Madras Family Centre, in Neilston, but she has been told her request for two full days and a half day has been denied for a second year. 

Her gran passed away on the February deadline after taking ill the preceding week and Ashley phoned the next working day to explain but says she was told she had to wait till April to apply.

The Mum-of-two, 35, told the Barrhead News: “It would be easier to negotiate my childcare around two full days and then getting the childcare the other days. 

“It seems like nobody is happy with what they have got but the council are adamant you have got what you have got and that’s it.

“These extra hours were meant to help working parents but they are actually adding stress to the situation because I’ve got to find somebody to watch my child until 1pm and then pick them up at 5pm for me.

“You are not going to get anyone wanting to do that because they could take someone for the whole day. 

“I know people who have been given what I want and they don’t want it, so I said to the council ‘can I not swap with them?’ and they just said ‘no, we don’t allow swaps because there could be someone else wanting it as well, so it’s unfair’.

“The other issue is we were almost at the middle of July when they told me, so I’ve now got just a few weeks to find childcare. 

“I’ve sent a long complaint to them. It’s a disaster.”

In Scotland, the amount of funded learning and care for three and four-year-olds, and eligible two-year-olds, has been increased from 600 hours a year to 1,140 hours.

From August, there will be a statutory duty on all local councils to provide this.
According to Scottish Government policy on the expansion, the entitlement should increase to 30 hours per week if taken in term time.

Neilston mum Jennifer Young works full-time in a term-time only job but has heard that her application for a term-time only place with increased hours per week for her daughter Niamh has been unsuccessful.

She said: “My application was late because I only found out through a friend that Madras was now offering term-time hours. When she started in nursery last year, Madras weren’t offering it.

“Her place is two-and-a-half days per week over 48 weeks but now they are offering term-time only as well, so I asked for an extra half-day a week without the holidays but I wasn’t given it.

“She’s not going to be using her full hours because I don’t work during the holidays.

“I know we can use some of hours for a childminder but I don’t want a childminder, as I just wanted her in the three days at nursery. She loves it there.”

A council spokesman said: “As part of our roll out of increased nursery provision, We have invested significantly in new nurseries and increased staffing to allow us to offer as much flexibility and choice as possible for families. 

“For applications received before the February 28 deadline, decisions on patterns of attendance and places allocated were issued on April 23. 

“Late applications were processed as quickly as possible, although with the majority of places already allocated by that stage it may have meant less options were available. 

“Demand for places is extremely high and we work hard to match the combination of hours and setting that families request, but can’t guarantee everyone will get their first choice. 

“We are happy to work with families to try to accommodate their needs as best as possible, although this may not be in the setting they had originally selected or the exact combination of hours.”