Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Bid to save Aberdeenshire out-of-school club after 300% rent hike threatens future

Ellen Pawlowicz, Nikki Thomson with Finnlay, and Malcolm Beattie at Hillside Primary School in Portlethen.  Picture by Kath Flannery.
Ellen Pawlowicz, Nikki Thomson with Finnlay, and Malcolm Beattie at Hillside Primary School in Portlethen. Picture by Kath Flannery.

An Aberdeenshire out-of-school club faces a bleak future after it was hit with an eye-watering 300% rent increase.

The service is run out of Hillside Primary School in Portlethen by Flexible Childcare Services Scotland (FCSS) who hire the space from Aberdeenshire Council.

But with just a few weeks before schools return the FCSS sent a letter to parents telling them it was closing due to “an unexpected and substantial cost increase.”

Since that letter was issued parents have voiced their support for the out-of-school club by saying they would be happy with higher costs if the club carried on.

A meeting to discuss the future of the service will be held in Aberdeen on Monday night.

Around 20 people will attend the gathering in Tillydrone as part of a bid to save the out-of-school club.

From left, Malcolm Beattie, Nikki Thomson with Finnlay, and Ellen Pawlowicz. Picture by Kath Flannery.

‘Shock’ among parents

Nikki Thomson’s six-year-old son goes to the out-of-school club but she is worried its demise will impact her job with the NHS.

She said she has been left “shocked and hurt” at the development given the clock is ticking before schools return on August 23.

Ms Thomson, 41, said: “I would like to express the shock, hurt and angst the parents of Hillside Primary pupils are feeling today at the less than three-week notice given by FCSS that the out-of-school-Club provision will not be reopening after the summer holidays.

“It would appear that Aberdeenshire council have increased the rental costs of the building to an unviable level for the charity to be able to afford and this makes me question if money is more important to the council than child welfare.

“I, like many other residents, are hard-working parents, and the size of Hillside needs a requirement for childcare in order for us to continue to work.”

Hillside Primary School’s out-of-school club could close after a hike in rent charges.  Picture by Kath Flannery.

MSP takes up fight

Audrey Nicoll, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, has written to Aberdeenshire Council chief executive Jim Savege about the issue.

She said parents are “alarmed and worried” that they could be left without after-school care.

Ms Nicoll wrote: “As the council will be aware, the new school term is due to start on August 23.

“We are less than three weeks from this date and families are alarmed and worried with this development.

“Given the very short timescale until the new term starts, can I ask the council to urgently clarify its position on the matter.”

The club is based at Hillside Primary School in Portlethen.  Picture by Kath Flannery.

Meeting planned for Monday

A spokesman for FCSS said that Aberdeenshire Council told them about the rent rise at the end of June.

He also confirmed details of the meeting with parents on Monday and wrote to councillors about the issue too.

The spokesman said: “The council advised us of a rent increase of 300% on 30th June

“Since then we have been trying to come to a compromise with the council but were advised earlier this week that the rates wouldn’t be reduced.

“We communicated this to parents who were very disappointed, but many of them stated that they would be happier with a higher cost if we could continue delivering the clubs.

“We are keen to keep our costs to a minimum so that we can deliver on our mission of providing accessible, affordable and flexible childcare.”

The consultation meeting for parents is being held at Tillydrone Nursery on Gort Road at 6pm on Monday.

Aberdeenshire Council have offered help.

What Aberdeenshire Council have to say

Aberdeenshire Council said they have offered support for FCSS so that the club can continue.

​​A spokeswoman for the local authority, said: “We have been engaging with the supplier to look at how we can further support them with the increased costs of the rent.

“We hope that by offering this support, Flexible Childcare Services Scotland (FCSS), will be able to continue to support the children and families at Hillside School.

“We are also looking to share information with parents and carers about other childcare options in the area.”

More from the Schools and Family team

Concerns raised about report into Aberdeenshire teachers’ Whatsapp messages

Bucksburn Academy: Councillors to decide on temporary classrooms plan next month

‘It’s literally my worst nightmare’: Aberdeen mum speaks out after son, 3, ‘walks out’ of nursery and is almost hit by Lang Stracht bus