Cllr Tracey Little, Chair of Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Education, Skills and Community Wellbeing committee, said:
Dumfries and Galloway Council offers a sincere apology to the families, communities and employees affected by recent communications about nursery provision at five small nurseries in the region.
We recognise that over the past few days there has been confusion and upset, and we are sorry. We are re-contacting all the families affected.
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
The five nurseries affected were:
- Collin Primary School Nursery
- Creetown Primary School Nursery
- Drummore Primary School Nursery
- Kirkcowan Primary School Nursery
- St Teresa’s RC Primary School Nursery
The sixth, Dalry Primary School Nursery, was not affected because there is no nearby alternative nursery available.
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.
We remain committed to supporting every child and family affected by this situation.
In line with our Learning Estate Strategy – ‘Right School, Right Place’ – we are 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 our children and young people.”
