Nursery forced to close at the end of the month leaving parents and staff in the lurch

By Toby Porter

Education chiefs are forcing a nursery to close with just four weeks notice – leaving parents and staff in the lurch.

Lambeth council has refused to renew the lease for Chestnut Nursery, on Corry Drive, Brixton, meaning the nursery will have to close on March 31.

The council has claimed that the nursery has allowed the building to remain in a state of disrepair after being given funds for maintenance.

But the nursery said they have spent the funding provided and more on the upkeep of the site.

Nadine Robinson, who has been the manager of Chestnut Nursery since 2013, said: “When we took over the building it was already in a state of disrepair and it was occupied by squatters.

“We used the money to do repairs to the roof, to paint the walls, and to put in new toilet cubicles and new toilets.

“There’s only so much we can do. It goes beyond our remit as a tenant.

“As a tenant would you say it’s our responsibility to insulate the building, to put on a new roof, to put in new windows? No.”

“We are looking after the building. If we didn’t care about the building, trust me, it wouldn’t look the way it does now.”

Parents and teachers are battling to save the nursery.

Hazel Rogers, who has a two-and-a-half-year-old son, Orrin Rogers, at the school, is worried about finding childcare that will allow her to keep working at her charity job.

The single mother said: “If I can’t find somewhere, I will not have the ability to work. It’s catastrophic.”

The school is one of the only affordable childcare options in the area and takes care of many children who are priced out of other nurseries.

It also cares for three vulnerable children, including Shona Dolphy’s four-year-old daughter, A’sharnai Brissett, who has cerebral palsy.

Ms Dolphy, who works at a local secondary school said: “I don’t think I would get that care for her anywhere else.”

Ms Dolphy is devastated by the potential closure of Chestnut and will have to quit her job if it happens, saying: “My daughter really, really struggles with change.”

The school currently has 66 pupils from 62 families and places are in high demand in the area.

The waiting list for babies is often a year long.

Parent Amber Hardy also voiced her concern about the loss of the school, saying: “This has given us parents no time to plan.

“This is going to have a really bad impact on the parents, the children and the community. We need this nursery to remain open for our children.”

A spokesman for Lambeth council said: “The current private operator has allowed the nursery to remain in a state of disrepair despite getting significant funding for maintenance from the council at the start of their lease.

“That lease is now expiring and as a result of their failure to maintain the property as per the original agreement a new lease will not be offered to the operator.

“The council will work with the community and other nursery operators in the area on ensuring all children have suitable nursery places in the area.

The building itself will either be offered to a new nursery operator or used for other council run children’s services provision.”

Top image taken on Pyjama day: Top left Kelsey, Miss Lavanja holding Honey, Miss Pauline holding Alana-Marie, Miss Sarah holding her daughter Sarai, Mason in Blue pj’s, Leo far left.