A PLAN to officially close Levenhall Nursery School as a stand-alone school and redesignate it as a nursery stage at Pinkie St Peter’s Primary in Musselburgh is going out for public consultation.

East Lothian Council has also set aside £2.2 million in its budget this year to build a new nursery facility at Pinkie St Peter’s Primary to cope with the “growing community”, in the wake of an influx of new housing in the area.

The 40-year-old Levenhall Nursery School building, on Moir Place, shut in 2015, with the school roll of 100 children, aged three to five, moving to Pinkie St Peter’s under a temporary “hosting” arrangement.

This followed site surveys and a health and safety visit, after which a structural engineer recommended that intrusive structural investigation work be carried out on the building.

Sarah Ogden, the headteacher at Pinkie St Peter’s, which has never had its own nursery class, assumed the role as headteacher of Levenhall Nursery School under a shared arrangement.

The council’s long-term vision at that time was to carry out a statutory consultation to close Levenhall Nursery School and re-designate it as a new nursery stage at Pinkie St Peter’s Primary School, where alternative accommodation would be provided in a new purpose-built facility.

The council’s three-year capital spend, agreed last month, included funding for a new facility to provide permanent replacement accommodation for Levenhall Nursery School at Pinkie St Peter’s Primary.

The consultation document stated: “The roll for Levenhall Nursery School is expected to increase over the next four years to a peak of 167 pupils, fluctuating thereafter between approximately 130 and 153 pupils due to an expected increase in the number of nursery children arising from committed and planned housing in the local area as a result of the emerging Local Development Plan.

“The council believes this proposal will allow the school estate to be managed in light of a growing community with high-quality provision within the local area. It will improve the continuity and progression in learning across all curriculum areas and stages of learning and bring Levenhall Nursery into the heart of the community.

“The specific layout and plans for the new facility will be developed in due course and will be made available through further consultation with key stakeholders.”

Financial contributions for the new nursery facility will be sought from developers of housing sites in the Musselburgh area.

The redesignation of Levenhall Nursery School to Pinkie St Peter’s Primary School Nursery Class will take effect from August 2017. Children attending the redesignated nursery class will transfer to a new facility within the Pinkie St Peter’s campus from August 2018, or as soon as possible thereafter.

The council is also establishing options for remediation of the building on Moir Place or redevelopment of the site.

The council has launched a public consultation to formalise the school plan which will last until April 26. There will be a public meeting next Tuesday (March 21), at 7pm at Musselburgh Grammar School.

For more information and to complete the online consultation, go to eastlothianconsultations.co.uk/education/levenhall-nursery-consultation

Paper copies are at: Levenhall Nursery School at Pinkie St Peter’s; all Musselburgh primary schools; Musselburgh partnership nurseries; Musselburgh playgroups; Tots and Teens at Musselburgh Grammar School; Olivebank Child and Family Centre; Musselburgh East Community Learning Centre; Musselburgh Primary Care Centre; and John Muir House, Haddington.