- Will antisocial behaviour return to the park with the nursery closed?
SYCT was invited by Lambeth to run the Adventure Playground (APG) over 10 years ago following major incidents of antisocial behaviour. Thanks to the skills of our staff, complaints dropped dramatically. Since then, we have moved the APG and Stay and Play to the Hut, bid to run services, brought in the football pitch, tennis courts and community events. We are very proud of our contribution to the park and will continue to work with the community to make it a safe place for everyone.
- What is going to happen to stay and play, after school, and holiday activities which you are contractually required to provide?
Our stay and play sessions are running as normal. Our after school and holiday activities are currently for children ages 8 and over. This is due to Ofsted regulations. We are starting the recruitment of the new manager who will oversee provision from the Hut. Once the new manager is in place, we will seek to join the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. This would allow us to provide afterschool and holiday provision for children aged 5 and up again.
- Why did the nursery close with immediate effect?
The decision to close the nursery with immediate effect was made on quality grounds. SYCT first discovered a concern with the quality of its provision in February 2024. We reported this to Ofsted and resolved the issue (https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/16/EY561142). Since then, we have however become aware of further areas where the provision was not meeting key requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework. As we were unable to put this right within a reasonable timeframe, we took the decision to close the nursery with immediate effect.
- Why was Sprig Ludens not profitable?
Making a small standalone nursery work financially is very difficult as central government’s funding for free childcare does not cover the real cost. Because we also run stay and play, after school and holiday activities from the hut, we could not extend the nursery beyond 4 days a week. At that scale, the nursery was making a loss and we were unable to provide the high-quality affordable childcare we set out to deliver in a sustainable way.
- Why did you not accept the third-party proposal to run a private nursery from the Hut?
Our discussions showed they would need to run the nursery from 8am to 6pm, 5 days a week, almost year-round to make sure that the venture was financially sustainable. We would not be able to deliver the stay and play, after school and holiday provision under those circumstances.
- Did you receive funding from LB Lambeth for Sprig Ludens Nursery?
We did not get any Lambeth funding for Sprig Ludens Nursery. As with all nurseries, we received a central government payment towards 15/30 free hours which was channelled via the local authority. All funding we do receive from Lambeth is for projects aimed at those children and young people who need our support most. For example, we provide the holiday activities and food programme for eligible children during school holidays.
- How can I have my say on the future of SYCT’s work in the park?
We are keen to engage with the wider community. We invite you to join us for an open day on Saturday 27 April from 12 noon to 2 pm This will be an opportunity for the community to view the full space we now have available and propose ideas of how we best use this to meet the needs of the families, children and young people who live around Streatham Vale Park.
