Covid: Pre-school warns of closure due to cuts

One Devon nursery said it cannot afford to open with so few children attending

Pre-schools are being "left out to dry" in the pandemic, with one warning it faces closure due to a funding cut.

Noah's Ark pre-school in Cullompton, Devon, said it will not survive until summer unless the policy changes.

From 1 January, the government stopped funding for children who had attended pre-pandemic but were no longer going.

The Department for Education (DfE) said the furlough scheme could be used by businesses that had lost income and it was considering further action.

Some pre-schools and nurseries say demand has plummeted in lockdown with many parents keeping children home over safety fears and others because financial circumstances have changed.

Wendy Land, manager of Noah's Ark pre-school, said they have seven children attending, down from 30.

"This is not OK ... we won't be able to offer a service to our critical and key worker and vulnerable children, because we can't afford to open for just seven or eight children," she said.

"I think it's ridiculous. We're being left out to dry, and it will mean the end of us by the summer if this carries on."

Wendy Land, manager of Noah's Ark pre-school, said pre-schools and nurseries were "being left out to dry"

Early years settings charge parents of under-twos privately, while the government pays for 15 to 30 hours per week for children aged three and over - and some two-year-olds - via local councils.

Lisa Youlton, Unison's South West manager, said: "I wouldn't actually be surprised if every single childcare setting in the South West was faced with making staff redundant or cutting their hours."

A parent who uses the pre-school said: "To say: 'Well, actually if a child doesn't come in because of parents' legitimate choice, we're going to retract funding and you might have to close' … it's just totally unfair."

Despite the government decision, Devon County Council has agreed to continue funding pre-schools through January, while Cornwall Council said it would carry on for the first half of term.

In the first lockdown in March, nurseries closed to all but vulnerable children and those whose parents were key workers.

But early-years provision has remained open in England so far for the current lockdown.

In a statement, the DfE said: "Where nurseries do see a drop in income from either parent-paid fees or income from DfE, they are able to use the furlough scheme.

"We will be closely monitoring both parental take-up of places and the capacity and response of providers, and will keep under constant review whether further action is needed."