Overnight closure of Enfield nursery leaves staff and parents ‘in shock’

In a letter sent to parents at the end of nursery day on Tuesday 28 May, headteacher Leslie Beech announced the permanent closure of the 117-place nursery in the London borough of Enfield, claiming it was to go into administration.

Concerned parents have spoken The world of nurseries to express their “deep distress” and “shock” at the sudden decision to close their doors overnight.

“We didn’t realize anything was wrong until we got a letter through the parent app at 9pm the night before we went to kindergarten the next day,” said parent Chris Wheeler, of whose three-year-old son attended nursery school for three years. days a week for a period of two years.

“He was extremely happy there and loved his teachers,” he added.

Parents have formed a WhatsApp group to support each other in finding new childcare services and to raise national media awareness of the sudden closure.

“I’m not a legal expert, but it shouldn’t be the case that a daycare should close without notice. I contacted Ofsted and reported this to them. I have also contacted the local council but have had no response from them. Our local MP spoke to local nurseries to see what availability there was and most of the children are now in new places, along with some staff who have lost their jobs,” says Wheeler.

On Facebook, Enfield North MP Feryal Clark criticized the sudden closure and said: “The owners of this nursery clearly knew they were in financial trouble before tonight but chose not to tell or inform dozens of parents. Lots of children are out of childcare from tomorrow and parents are left scrambling for last minute nursery places! This is disgusting behavior.

Although finding nursery places for their children was their top priority, the closure has left many families in a difficult position, both logistically and financially.

“Our June nursery fees were taken out of our accounts two days before the announcement. They also have our £1,000 deposits,” Wheeler said.

Parents are demanding clarity on what led to the sudden closure. “We were given no information on who to contact. The only message I received was a time slot to pick up our children’s things. When I walked in, the teachers were shocked and crying. It was a really somber feeling,” he added.

Staff ‘shocked’ at sudden closure

Nursery staff said The world of nurseries that they were unaware of the nursery’s financial situation and intend to take legal action.

They said: “Words cannot express our shock and sadness at the sudden closure of Cedar Park Kindergarten. The wonderful staff and children and families made working there so special and enjoyable.

“We are still trying to process the sudden closure which has unfortunately left many staff unemployed and hundreds of parents without childcare.

“There are staff members who have dedicated their careers in Cedar Park, with tenures of over 15 years, who are now out of a job.”

In a message to parents explaining the closure, director Leslie Beech said she “deeply regrets” any disruption this closure will undoubtedly cause.

“This decision was not taken lightly and comes after much deliberation and consideration of all possible options to maintain our nursery. We have been in discussions for the past 12 months to sell the business, however unfortunately the deal fell through at the last minute and the lease allowing Cedar Park Schools to operate from Wolverton is due to expire at the end of the week.

“Our primary concern has always been the welfare and development of the children in our care, however we have exhausted every effort to allow the business to continue and of course without a lease we have no building to operate from.

“Cedar Park Schools will soon be going into administration and we apologize for what will no doubt be a terrible inconvenience to everyone.”

Cedar Park Nursery has two sites in Hertfordshire – one in Enfield and one in Hoddesdon. The world of nurseries contacted the owner to ask if the Hoddesdon setting was affected by the closure, but no response was received.

The world of nurseries have contacted Enfield Council but were unable to provide a comment.