Harp Nurseries closes Colchester site, and now operates just a third of the nurseries acquired from Welcome

The Harp nursery group has been left with just 9 nurseries out of the original 26 it took on from Welcome Nurseries last August, after giving parents just a few days’ notice of the closure of its Colchester setting.

Affected parents say they were told on Tuesday 23 May that Meadow Island Nursery in Colchester would shut at the end of the month due to ‘funding’. However, the nursery was closed just three days later on Friday 26 May.

Parents using the 91-place setting, which was rated good by Ofsted in January, say they were offered alternative places at the group’s nearby Pine Trees Nursery in Earls Colne, which is approximately 30 minutes away.

The latest closure sees the number of nurseries operated by Harp fall from 20 last December to just nine. The group had bought 26 sites from Welcome Nurseries, which went into administration, last August.

Most of the nurseries that Harp took on from Welcome Nurseries have closed completely, with three settings known to have been taken on by Ashbourne Nurseries.

In April, Nursery World reported that parents using Harp Nurseries’ Langho site had been given just days to find alternative provision after announcing the closure of the setting.

In February, we reported that eight nurseries previously owned by Harp had apparently closed.

Prior to this, the Harp Group shut two nurseries, Magnolia Day Nursery in Alfreton and Sunflower Children’s Day Nursery in Kent in January, reportedly giving parents no more than a week’s notice of the closures.

However, the Alfreton site, along with settings in Leicester and Wellingborough, were subsequently taken over by Ashbourne Nurseries, which shares a director in common with the Harp Group, Sarah Blyth.

‘Being given very little notice was a big stress’

Katy Cox, whose two-year-old attended Meadow Island Nursery, told Nursery World, ‘As a teacher myself with a husband in the Army we need consistent reliable childcare. So being given very little notice was a big stress heading into half term when many settings are closed.’

She said that Harp’s other nearby nursery is too far for her to travel, but she has fortunately found alternative provision. However, she said’ the hours aren’t exactly the same’, and there isn’t much choice locally.

Cox added, ‘I felt for the nursery staff, we have always been very supportive and cared for my child well.’

According to Harp Nurseries’ website, it now operates the following settings: