Avonhead nursery may have found new base

Press, 21 February 1987, Page 8

Avonhead nursery may have found new base

The Avonhead Nursery School, which had to close last year when its premises were sold, may have found a new base.

The nursery school is investigating the use of a scout hall.

The use of the building will be the subject of a notified planning application to the Waimairi District Council. Part of the building which might be used is zoned “open space” so that activities such as a nursery school cannot be allowed without a hearing. Fencing and car-parking requirements will also be considered at the hearing. Alternative premises had been found for the school last year, after its first closing, and then the second building was sold also.

The nursery school’s teachers, Mesdames Doreen Mansbridge and

Jan Danrell, had feared new premises would be difficult to find because of recent regulations on childcare premises. The regulations say that an outside play area must be provided.

The teachers had had to fence the premises found last year in order to comply with the regulations. A provisional licence was to have been issued by the Education Department because it had not at that stage been able to obtain reports from the Health and Fire Departments. An earlier report in “The Press” said that the licence was refused by the Education Department. Mr Michael Cooper, a department regional senior education officer in early childhood education, confirmed that under the new regulations an outside play area would need to be provided before a

licence would normally be granted. The regulations were set by the Minister of Social Welfare, Mrs Hercus, before nursery schools were transferred to the Education Department last year. Mesdames Mansbridge and Danrell recognised that the regulations were in place to protect children but questioned the need for an outside play area in their school when it was not used in their programme.

Mr Cooper said the outside play area equipment provided would not need to be expensive, and some provision for activities such as climbing and running would be beneficial. He said the sort of equipment needed for individual nursery schools would be reached through "discussion, and agreement” with the department.