Parents and staff owed hundreds after nursery shut

Fran Pedley's daughter attended Capellas when it unexpectedly closed

Parents of children who attended a nursery which closed without notice have said they are owed hundreds of pounds and have had to find alternative childcare.

Capellas in Balsall Common closed its doors in the middle of June.

Staff told the BBC that they had not been paid, and they had no idea if it was coming.

The nursery's director, Martin Wallbank, said the closure was due to financial pressures, and that all parents would receive owed payments through the insolvency process.

He added that payments were also being made to staff pensions.

On June 7, parents received an email saying that the nursery would close for a week due to staff shortages.

On 12 June, they were sent another message, saying it would close for an additional week, again due to staff shortages.

Then, on 18 June, parents were notified that the nursery would be closed until further notice.

Both of Fran Pedley's children attended, and her youngest daughter was there until it shut.

"It was lovely, the staff there are absolutely amazing," she said.

"The kids loved it, they were thriving.

"It just seemed to be like a switch had flipped, and overnight it just went downhill."

The nursery's director, Martin Wallbank, said parents would receive money owed through the insolvency process

Ms Pedley managed to find a new nursery for her youngest daughter, but said the situation had made her "angry and upset."

Most parents pay for the care their child receives in advance, so were owed money for the weeks that the nursery shut.

They said they were promised refunds, which never came.

Ms Pedley said the nursery's accounts manager sent parents a frustrated email, which said they were not responsible for refunds, and that it had been passed on to the director.

Mr Wallbank told the BBC that insolvency practitioners would become the point of contact for all matters relating to Capellas.

"We want them to pay the staff what they're owed," said Ms Pedley.

"Some of us are only owed probably a couple of hundred quid, the staff are owed thousands."

The front door of Capellas Nursery displays signs informing staff and parents of its closure

One member of staff told the BBC that money had not been paid into her pension pot since October 2022, despite money being taken out of her pay packet for it.

She added that they were often paid late, and that bailiffs were going in "regularly."

Another said: "It was out of our hands. I cannot describe how I feel about what they have done both to staff, parents and children."