Managers and Directors of several nursery schools in the Ross area have spoken out about their growing concerns regarding the 30 hours of ‘free’ childcare being offered to working families from September 2017. And they are not alone with their worries.

Several local childcare providers are supporting a nationwide campaign, which began last year, called ‘Champagne Nurseries on Lemonade Funding,’ (CNLF) which aims to raise awareness of the impossible situation that the 30 hour policy puts many child care providers in.

CNLF has been featured on national radio, television and in industry press, there is a huge consensus of opinion that this policy will have devastating consequences on the sector.

The Directors of Oak House, an outstanding Nursery School in Ross-on-Wye, have written to their MP Bill Wiggin ro raise their concerns. Rachel Marshall, one of the directors told the Ross Gazette, “We are a successful nursery which parents have chosen due to the exceptional standards we offer.

“We cannot cut down on our standards, we offer over and above the legal requirements, but we are genuinely concerned that smaller nurseries will have to close because they simply cannot offer childcare at less than it costs to provide it.”

Sofi Sullivan, manager of Spring Gate Nursery School told the Gazette, “We feel the biggest thing we need to stress is that it’s in no way free, and simply will not be sustainable, this will, and has already resulted, in settings closing due to the financial impact. This is a massive concern, more so in Ross than other areas, as we have also lost so many of our valuable children centre services which are so valuable to our community.”

Read the full report in this week’s Ross Gazette