Havant nursery under threat of closure as bosses start consultation with parents

Rumours have been circulating about the closure of Little Faces Nursery, based at Havant and South Downs College, amid concerns about the venue’s future.

Formerly known as South Downs College Nursery, youngsters get the chance to focus on social and physical development with the site’s fairy garden and dinosaur land.

Now, a consultation has been launched for parents and staff to have their say.

Through an email sent to parents, the college has stated that the closure of the nursery would be their preferred option.

A decision will be made in November, with the nursery set to close on December 18.

One parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘This would leave parents with less than a month to find a new nursery for children, which is practically impossible.

‘Little Faces is one of the best nurseries around – the kids love it and the care they receive from staff is second to none.

‘I don’t think anybody wants this place to close. To lose it would be a huge shame and a devastating loss to the community.’

Conservative MPs for Havant and Meon Valley, Alan Mak and Flick Drummond, have been contacted by campaigners for their support.

In the email sent out to parents, vice principal Leona Berry said the decision is not final, and that business costs mean the nursery is no longer economically sustainable.

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This, she says, has been further hindered by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

But parents who have spoken to The News say they would be prepared to pay for an increase in nursery fees, to offset this.

A spokeswoman for Havant and South Downs College said: ‘We fully appreciate the understandable strength of feeling felt by our respective communities following notification that the college was considering the future of their nursery provision for economic reasons.

‘We cannot comment further at this time as we are in the middle of a 30-day consultation around this issue and feel it would be irresponsible to our staff to do so.’

The nursery consultation is due to run until November 19, and a decision will be confirmed by November 27.

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