Bonsai Children’s Day Nursery is one of 11 settings currently operated by the Harp group, which took over from Welcome last year after it went into administration.
A parent using the 58-place setting in Langho told Nursery World they had been given just four days’ notice of the closure of the nursery, leaving them with little time to find alternative childcare.
They said, ‘We have been left in a difficult position, along with many other parents. How can a nursery give four days’ notice and no other prior warning?
‘I feel sorry for all the staff and other parents. This nursery has been fantastic and our child’s development has come on really well since being there.’
When Nursery World contacted the local parish council, it said it was unaware of the impending closure of the setting, which was rated good by Ofsted in its last inspection in May 2021, under Welcome’s ownership. The setting had yet to be inspected after being re-registered by Harp last November.
Lancashire County Council said it had been notified by the company of the closure of the site.
It comes after the Harp Group shut two nurseries in December and January, Sunflower Children’s Day Nursery in Kent and Magnolia Day Nursery in Alfreton, reportedly giving parents no more than a week’s notice of the closures.
A letter sent to parents using the setting in Kent, published by the local paper, suggested that the nursery was forced to shut due to ‘recruitment difficulties’ and that a ‘number of staff had recently resigned’, but did not disclose why.
Less three months ago Nursery World reported that the Harp Group appeared to have shut eight nurseries, leaving it with a total of 12 sites after purchasing 26 settings from Welcome. At the time, Harp did not confirm or deny whether the settings had permanently closed.
Harp Nurseries is owned by Simon Fox and has one managing director, Sarah Blyth, according to Companies House.
In a statement, Harp Nurseries said, ‘At Harp, we pride ourselves on providing high-quality care and education for all our children and this is something we want to maintain across all our nurseries.
‘Due to the current climate and with so many other provisions having to close, we have had to make the difficult decision to close Bonsai Day Nursery, Langho.
‘We understand how difficult this will be, so our priority is to ensure the wellbeing and care of all our children, families and staff are the focus. As a company we are fully supporting with this transition.
‘This decision has not been taken lightly and we are supporting staff and families through this difficult time.’
A Lancashire County Council spokesman said, 'We were notified by the company that owns this private nursery, the Harp Group, that Bonsai Children's Day Nursery in Langho will close on Friday.
'Lancashire County Council has no involvement with the day-to- day running of private children's nurseries. However, we would support any families that need to find alternative provision if they contact us via the Family Information Service at Childcare advice - Lancashire County Council.'