Council leaders have given assurances that a private nursery will not be affected by proposals to close a neighbouring facility.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council will carry out a consultation on plans to close Bentilee Nursery School, due to it costing too much money.

The nursery school is based at Bentilee Family Hub, which is also home to Tiny Toez private nursery. Cabinet members at the city council agreed to launch a consultation on the proposals for Bentilee Nursery School at their meeting on Tuesday.

They also made it clear that Tiny Toez would continue to operate at the family hub regardless of any changes to the nursery school. The council plans are to cease maintaining the nursery school and transfer provision to two primary schools in the area.

A special education nursery would then be established on the nursery school site. Cabinet members said they wanted to debunk online rumours that Tiny Toez would be affected by the proposals.

Councillor Sarah Jane Colclough, cabinet member for children's services, said: "We have seen some disturbing comments on social media. I just want to make it clear that this is nothing to do with Tiny Toez. They are staying open and they're not moving anywhere. We need to make that abundantly clear.

"This new way of working is to complement that provision right next door with specialist SEND provision."

Bentilee Nursery School, the only council-maintained nursery school in Stoke-on-Trent, has been running at a financial loss for four years, with its deficit reaching £185,710 in 2024/25.

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According to a council report, maintained nursery schools are struggling across the country due to having high running costs and low pupil numbers.

The council predicts that the nursery school's deficit will increase to £340,136 by 2027/28, despite a recovery plan having been in place over the past three years. A total of 53 children, aged from two to four, are currently accessing places at Bentilee Nursery School.

Under the council's plans, the provision at Bentilee Nursery School would be accommodated at nearby Eaton Park Academy and Maple Court Academy, both run by Alpha Academies Trust.

The council says that the proposed SEND nursery, to be operated by an independent provider or academy trust, would help meet local demand for specialist provision.

Sarah Hill, cabinet member for finance, said: "Making these changes is always very difficult, and I appreciate how hard the school and officers have worked to try and make the school sustainable, but it just isn't possible with it making a significant loss.

"And this gives us the opportunity to provide SEND provision for which there is a gap in the area, which I think would be a great idea."

Once the formal consultation on the proposals has been carried out, a further report will be brought to cabinet for a final decision in July.