Devastated Early Years staff with decades of service in the same nursery have slammed education chiefs after being told they will not be returning to the same centres after the summer.

Distraught staff say they have had their holidays ruined after receiving calls to tell them they will be shifted to new centres in August.

One worker blasted “inconsiderate” bosses at North Ayrshire council after they told her she would not be returning to the nursery where she has given nine years of service.

She said some colleagues had been dealt the same shocking blow – some who have been at the same centres for as long as 25 years.

The woman, who has asked not to be named, says the last-minute shake-up is proof NAC have “made a mockery” of the Scottish Government’s extended hours for nurseries initiative.

She told the Times: “They have no loyalty to their staff and are causing a lot of hurt and upset. I know of several colleagues who have had their holidays ruined with these phone calls and decisions. People are abroad and heartbroken by the news that teams are being wrenched apart and people moved.

“The unions cannot help as we are not losing our jobs just being moved. We are not permanent to the location but to the council.”

“I have worked with vulnerable children and families and built up strong bonds and relationships. We have a fantastic staff team who range in ages, experience, skill sets and abilities. Staff left on June 28 not knowing if we would be returning or not.”

Shockingly the worker says bosses have still not told her where she will be placed and she claims experienced staff have been cleared out to make way for North Ayrshire Council employees who have recently become qualified as Early Years Practitioners.

She said: “I received a call from an NAC education employee to tell me there was no longer a place for me at my nursery after almost nine years, yet she still could not tell me where I was being placed or when I would hear.

“No thought or consideration has been given to the children and families in all of this who will be returning in August to discover the people they know have gone and there’s been no explanation or goodbye. NAC are making a complete mockery of the early years profession.

“They have brought in staff to retrain them in order to meet the needs for additional staffing requirements for the 1140hrs which become mandatory in 2020. These staff seem to have been given job allocations before longterm, experienced staff.

“I have 25 years experience working in Early Years and I feel like walking away. Can they not learn from other councils who do not seem to have this disruption and upset for all involved?”

A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “Our early years staffing exercise has been unusually complex this year due to the recent negotiations on revised staff working patterns with the trade unions.

“However, it is usual for staff to move establishments as the numbers and the attendance patterns of children fluctuate from year to year.

“The expansion of hours from 600 hours to 1140 hours offers greater flexibility for parents and as a consequence, greater variability in when children attend nursery.

“This has an impact on our staffing requirements which vary throughout the day and throughout the week to ensure we have the right numbers of staff in place to support children’s learning.

“Invariably, this means that on some occasions staff are required to move from establishments where numbers of children have reduced.

“We work very hard to ensure that children returning to nursery after the Summer holidays come back into a welcoming and nurturing environment where they are supported by qualified experienced practitioners most of whom are familiar to them.”