Bridgetown playschool threatened with closure

UP to 15 parents will have to drive their children an additional 10 miles round trip to attend a local pre-school, if a Bridgetown playschool doesn’t reopen next September.

Diane Smyth, who has been operating Daisy Chains Playschool in Bridgetown since September 2005, has warned she will be forced to close her doors for the last time at the end of the month with the loss of two jobs unless she can secure alternative accommodation.
Operating in the school hall for the last few years, she has explored other operating possibilities such as renting other premises within the local community, erecting a specialised prefab on the school premises and obtaining a nearby premises, for which she obtained planning permission from Clare County Council only to be turned down by An Bord Pleanála.
She discussed the situation with the school principal, who suggested a retractable partition allowing the school to use two-thirds of the hall at the same time the pre-school operates in the other one third. The partition would be paid in full by Ms Smyth, which was agreed.
However, The Clare Champion has learned the board of management objected to this solution  as it believed all existing accommodation was needed to cater for the needs of the pupils, which jumped from 99 to 127 in five years.
Ms Smyth admitted she was disappointed with the board’s decision and claimed no reason was given for the refusal.
She pointed out it would cost over €20,000 to install a new prefabricated building, which would be very difficult to recoup over the next four years when the existing planning permission ceased.
While the board had agreed to talk about the prefab option again, she noted there seemed to be only two options: a new prefab or close down.
If the play-school doesn’t reopen, she predicted parents would have to drive an extra five miles to try and secure an alternative place in Killaloe, which had a huge catchment area of Clonlara.
Resident, Niamh McInerney told The Clare Champion, this refusal had dismayed former, present and future parents of children who wanted to attend Daisy Chains and they were currently signing a petition opposing this decision.
“Parents have commented on the fantastic service Ms Smyth provides as well as her great rapport with the children. She offers a service that only a few other schools across the country provide – the provision of a pre-school on the primary school grounds. 
“Parents love the fact that their children attend the pre-school in the school and find that it makes the transition into primary school less stressful. 
“Rising petrol costs only adds extra pressure on families. Parents may now decide to move their children from the local national school and a decrease in pupil numbers will lead to a loss of one or more teachers in the coming years,” she said.
Bridgetown National School issued a statement concerning the pre-school after it was contacted to provide a contact number for the board of management chairperson.
The school, stated Ms Smyth, had been operating her playschool from the school hall for a number of years and noted the agreement in relation to the hire of the hall was on a “year-to-year basis”.
The school recalled the board of management (BOM) agreed to her request to extend her operation from a three to a five-day week in late 2009 to allow her join the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme on the understanding this would be a temporary arrangement until alternative accommodation could be sourced. 
“The BOM went to considerable effort and contact with the diocesan trustees and the parish to ensure a site was made available to Diane for the construction of a prefabricated building on the school grounds. However, Diane chose not to take up this option.
“Recent work on securing premises for the playschool by the lane at the side of the school was supported by the board of management.  The school was willing to move the school boundary wall to provide a pull-in bay for traffic and if needed, to allow access to the playschool through the school grounds.
“The BOM is aware of the impact of this decision on both parents and Diane and this decision was not taken lightly. However, due to the substantial increase in numbers, it is necessary to make use of all space available for teaching children. Enrolment has increased from 99 pupils in 2007 to approximately 127 pupils in September 2012.
“At no stage since the final decision was made has Ms Smyth made any formal contact with the BOM,” the statement concluded.