Nursery closures increase by half in one year
Amrit Virdi
Monday, October 2, 2023
The number of nurseries forced to close in England has increased by half over the last academic year, according to new research.
The National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) found that 72 more nurseries closed between September 2022 to September 2023, which is a 50 per cent rise compared with the previous year.
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This research takes place amid the government's planned expansion of funded childcare places, which is due to be implemented from April next year.
The research highlighted that closures are more likely to take place in areas with the greatest levels of deprivation. In the last academic year, 14.5 per cent of nursery closures were in the 10 per cent most deprived areas of England, up from 12.7 per cent in 10 per cent most deprived areas the previous year.
Closures were also accelerated when nurseries were at their busiest, with over a third happening between April to August, the research finds.
This coincided with cost increases, as NDNA members reported that they faced a 14 per cent increase in staffing costs alone, while government funding only increased by an average of 3.4 per cent.
Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of NDNA, said: “The government must take urgent action to support every childcare provider to be able to deliver sustainable childcare that is accessible and affordable for all if they are seriously committed to their promise of the expansion of funded childcare from April 2024.”
Providers are still waiting to find out if they will receive increased from their local authorities as the government has announced plans to invest £204m to boost funding rates amid the planned expansion of funded hours.
