Sunderland City Council is recommending that the schools be replaced by three purpose-built primary schools with nursery classes attached. Councillors were expected to approve the plans at a cabinet meeting held on Wednesday.
The proposals are part of the School Place Planning Project, which aims to cut the number of surplus places in primary schools. However, the two nursery schools, Hylton Red House and Hetton, have been included in the plans.
Hetton headteacher Clare Smith said, 'We offer high-quality provision and 47 Neighbourhood Nursery Initiative places. We have flagged all of this up to the local authority and they replied that this is not about standards or quality, so we think it is a financial decision. The council claims it will match the quality and quantity of provision. However, the new nursery would only have a quarter of the space and no headteacher. In terms of staffing, the council has only pledged to meet EYFS requirements, whereas all of our staff are level 3 and we have two EYPs.'
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