Luton nursery shuts with one day's notice only three months after prep school closed
A nursery in Luton has closed its doors for good just months after its sister school abruptly shut in March.
Tots Academy, in Leagrave, sent an email to staff and parents on Monday (June 22) informing them that the nursery would close the following day.
The email, seen by the Luton News, read: “Over the past weeks and months, we have been endeavouring to restructure Tots Academy and find a long-term future for it under new ownership.
“For reasons that will, in due course, become sadly apparent, the current owners, for personal reasons, are no longer able to continue.”
The nursery is owned by King’s House Group, the same firm that shut down King’s House Moorlands School in March, after giving students, parents and staff only 30 minutes’ notice.
Dominic Dumville, partner at liquidator accountancy firm, Mercer and Hole, said: "We continue to assist the directors of the Kings House Group, which includes wholly owned subsidiary Tots Academy Limited.
“The director hoped the nursery would be able to continue to trade independently, but the fallout from the school closing has adversely impacted the nursery.”
Rosa Sanchez, who was head of early years at the nursery for nearly two years, was blindsided by the news.
Rosa said: “No one, absolutely no one, saw this coming.
“I just don’t want anyone to think that I was in any way possible involved in the decision."
Iraj Raza, whose daughter had gone to King’s House Moorlands, explained that her young son’s education has been impacted by the shock announcement.
She said: “So, what do we do now? Do we put our child into another nursery? What do we do? We’re just left again with the burden of what needs to happen now.
“We haven’t been given any paperwork, any guidance, or anything to know what is going to happen. Whoever’s paid, what will be happening to their money? Nothing.”
Her four-year-old child had been expecting to go on a school trip, which has already been paid for, but now is cancelled.
Iraj said: “His first question to us was, ‘So how many sleeps till I go to the dinosaur park?’ I was like, ‘I’m sorry, but that’s not going to happen.’
“It’s really hard for him to understand what’s happening because he’s so young.”
In March, liquidators said that Dr Andrew Cook, director of the nursery, “[would] not continue involvement in operations” as they assessed which parts of the school could remain open.
But Iraj said: “There was no communication to the parents of what would be happening to Tots.
“Every time any question was ever raised, we were given back saying everything is fine.”
Now, parents are left scrambling to find places for their children come September.
Iraj added: “There were parents there who didn’t have next year organised for a school, so now they’ve got summer holidays to try and work out where they are sending their child.”
Councillor James Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Education, Employment and Skills said: “We are very concerned by the sudden closure of Tots Academy – an early years provider in Luton operated by the same organisation responsible for Kings House Moorlands Independent School which closed suddenly in February.
“Responsibility for the oversight of early years providers sits with Ofsted, not Luton Council. After being alerted to this situation on 23 June, we reported our concerns directly to Ofsted.
"We understand this news will cause uncertainty and distress for pupils, parents, carers and staff. Children have suddenly been left without a nursery place, and we are taking immediate action to support affected families. We will be contacting the parents of all funded children attending the setting to help them secure places at other early years providers.”