Parents 'devastated' following announcement outlining Little Faces Nursery closure

Little Faces Nursery, which is based on the Havant and South Downs College grounds in Waterlooville, will be officially closing on Tuesday, July 23 following ‘ongoing challenges in recruitment of nursery staff’. The News previously reported the closure - and a number of parents have shared their thoughts.

Sophie Sewell, whose daughter currently goes to the nursery said: “I feel that they haven’t taken the kids into account. The staff at the nursery are lovely and you can’t fault how they are with the children - it is more the college that wants the nursery gone so they can sell the land.” The college has been looking for a new nursery manager to run the education setting but the recruitment team have found themselves unsuccessful which, the college says, has prompted the closure.

Mike Gaston, principal and CEO of HSDC, said: “We have sought to appoint both interim and permanent management and have been unsuccessful in our efforts. Without a suitably qualified nursery manager, Little Faces will be in breach of its statutory safeguarding obligations as set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework. We cannot continue to operate in these circumstances as the safety and well-being of the children is paramount to us.

“Our top priority has always been the safety and security of the children. Without a qualified manager in place, we cannot fulfil our statutory safeguarding obligations.”

The nursery is open all year round which is extremely useful for parents or guardians that work full time and, despite the nursery’s closing date being in line with the academic year, many parents have had to try and find childcare for the summer holidays.

Some parents have suggested the closure has also been a result of the nursery being a ‘financial drain’ - something the college denies. In the minutes for a committee meeting, which took place on December 13, 2023, it says that ‘a piece of research work had been requested by the committee to seek to make the nurseries financially viable as they continued to be a financial drain on the college.’

One comment on The News’ Facebook page said: “It's not just about finding a new manager . It's because the college doesn't want the nursery there at all. It nearly closed a few years ago but was saved by the parents - The nursery grounds are worth money for development as the adjoining area to it is empty also and can be sold off. The parents, children and most of the devoted staff there are devastated.”

Another Facebook comment said: “As a nursery owner myself this is sad to read another good provision going due to not being able to get staff. Best wishes to all the team.”

A spokesperson for Havant and South Downs College said: “There was a 2020 consultation exploring the nursery's financial sustainability. While the consultation faced concerns, particularly regarding timing during the pandemic and potential fee adjustments, the college ultimately opted to keep the nursery operational.

“It must be stressed that the only reason for the recent decision to immediately close was the ongoing challenges in recruitment of nursery staff. Any nursery will speak about the challenges of staffing. With continuing challenges of being ‘in ratio’ coupled with a failure to attract a nursery manager, posed significant challenges and we believe the risk became too great in regards to safeguarding of children.

“The college was not prepared to take that risk, excepting that the closure of provision, although stressful and challenging for parents, children and staff, is the correct decision in this context unless we can guarantee the safety of children in our care, we should not be delivering that provision.”

Sophie Sewell’s daughter currently attends the nursery all year round. She said that the closure of the nursery has meant that she has had to reach out to family members for additional support over the summer while herself and her partner work full time. On the days that family members cannot help with childcare, the couple have had to organise a holiday club for their daughter which has cost them more money.

Sophie said: “We have obviously had to talk to family to get some more support to see if anyone can take her while we work - she only has six weeks so I could put her in a pre-school or nursery but then she would be moving again up to school.

“It is very difficult for the children that will be going up to school in September because it would be a big thing to put her into a temporary nursery for such a short amount of time and it’s also hard to even find nursery places as well.

“We are now having to put our little one in a holiday club and we don’t get the same hours for that so we are having to pay for her to go whereas with nursery we wouldn’t have to.

Mike added: “We understand that this news may be disappointing, however, our commitment is to reassure those affected during this transition, offer guidance, and provide information on alternative childcare options available in the area - Thank you for your understanding and continued support.”

For more information about the Little Faces Nursery, click here.