UPDATE - 8 June 2026

Thank you to everyone who has supported our campaign to save Cortachy Nursery so far. We met with the council on Fri (5 Jun) to discuss our concerns, and they agreed to keep applications open for the August 2026 intake for one more week. If they receive one more application by this Friday (12 Jun) they'll keep the nursery open.

If you or someone you know has a 3 or 4 year old, lives locally and would be interested in attending the nursery next term, please contact the school ASAP (01575 526043 or cortachy@angusschools.org.uk) and apply directly via the council website.

If you have a child who will be turning 3 later in the year, or within the next couple of years, we would also urge you to contact the school ASAP to express your interest. This will help us to build a picture of future enrolment trends to prove to the council that it is worth keeping it open.

Many thanks.

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Cortachy Nursery is facing closure in August 2026 due to a recent change (10 March 2026) to Angus Council's temporary closure policy. The policy now stipulates that, "where the projected demand for an ELC setting (based on August intake) is expected to be five or fewer, temporary closure may be proposed."

With 3 of its 8 places set to be filled in August, Cortachy Nursery's numbers are admittedly lower than they have been in recent years. Just last year, families had to be turned away as the setting was at capacity. It is normal for numbers to fluctuate in rural settings. Sadly, Angus Council's policy doesn't take the fragility of rural schools into consideration, and this new policy means that 3 families are being turned away from an outstanding nursery, and its closure will have a negative impact on enrolment numbers for Cortachy Primary School in future years.

Angus Council state that they have concerns that fewer than 5 children in a setting will lead to "over-adulting" and a lack of "shared experiences". At Cortachy P.S the staff at the school already have strategies in place to mitigate these risks and nursery children are well integrated with the rest of the school, with whole-school shared activities taking place regularly.

The decision to temporarily close Cortachy Nursery appears to be financially motivated, while being presented as a decision relating to educational benefits. The council have not taken the time to consider the educational benefits to the nursery children and the school pupils that would be achieved by keeping the nursery open, and their decision-making processes are not clear and accountable.

We, the undersigned, therefore urge Angus Council to reconsider their decision and instead work with the school and its families to find a flexible solution in order to keep the nursery open.