An early petition against the merger received more than 1,200 signatures. The petition had stated: “Kimberley Nursery is a feeder school to our local schools which do not have their own nursery schools attached. “It’s imperative to keep this nursery school open as so many children and parents rely on the nursery; closing it will negatively impact our community.” However, no formal objections were received in the final consultation. The merger comes after declining pupil numbers and an increasing deficit. The report on the final proposal says Kimberley Nursery School is projected to be in deficit by £125,000 at the end of the 2020/21 financial year.