“Urgent” action is being sought to find a replacement mobile and relocation of an Armagh-based pre-school which is currently operating from a mobile building no longer fit for purpose.
Clady Tiny Tots Pre-School – based on the Cladymore Road–- has be delivering “high quality early years education” within the community for almost 30 years but has long been operating from an outdated building which is preventing the school from increasing its hours of operation.
The pre-school’s management are currently working alongside key stakeholders in an effort to sustain its long-term future and key to that is a move out their current base.
In April, the school invited the public to “help shape what comes next” in an open meeting that would “explore the future of Clady Tiny Tots and how we can continue to build on its proud legacy”.
The meeting attracted a “strong turnout” with support from adjoining St. Michael’s Primary School Principal, Mr Guy, who is fully supporting the pre-school’s relocation to their site.
Calling for support from the Education Minister, The Education Authority and all other Agencies involved, Newry and Armagh MP Dáire Hughes along with his colleagues, MLA for the area Aoife Finnegan and Cusher Councillor Bróna Haughey have asked that this request is given “strong consideration” due to the conditions of the mobile in which Clady Tiny Tots operate in.
The Sinn Féin MP said: “Clady Tiny Tots have followed all of the requirements as outlined by Social Services and Environmental Health.
“Their existing mobile has been deemed unfit for purpose and recent a request for damp removal has been deemed impossible with the current structure of the building.
“Independent pre-school settings are reliant on PEAGs funding to be operational, and rely solely on fundraising for other activities or costs outside of that funding.
“These settings usually have a voluntary committee behind them helping to manage the setting for the good of the children in their care.
“It is a reasonable request to ask for the children in their care to be educated in a suitable, safe and appropriate setting, one whose costs of provision at this time, far outstretch the means of this current committee and is likely an aspirational aim for any independent committee of a pre school setting in the North”.
Local Councillor Bróna Haughey, commenting on the issue said: “Clady Tiny Tots covers a vast rural, catchment area.
“Clady and the surrounding area is very isolated, it has a wonderful community ethos that centres around the school and the Tiny Tots as well as the local GAA club.
“If the Tiny Tots were to close as a result of this issue that they face, it would have a huge detrimental impact on the community as a whole, the school and the local children whose closest alternative settings that they are often deferred to, are a 14 mile round trip”.
Concluding local MLA Aoife Finnegan commented: “While this is a time sensitive issue, and we would prefer immediate decisions and actions to be taken on this issue, we would be open to facilitating a meeting on site with ourselves, the school principal and the staff and committee of Clady Tiny Tots”.
