Hekate Papadaki outside the nursery in Finsbury Park: ‘We have been subsidising the running of the nursery for quite some time’

A CHARITY-RUN nursery has announced its shock closure, leaving parents distraught and searching for ways to save it.

Hekate Papadaki, the chief executive of Manor Gardens Nursery in Finsbury Park, said she didn’t want to give families false hope that it will be able to continue after the end of the school term.

She said there were not enough children enrolled who were paying for services, with many of those who do use it getting by on childcare subsidies.

Ms Papadaki broke the news to the parents on Wednesday and told the Tribune: “We have been subsidising the running of the nursery for quite some time. We get £6 per hour per child from statutory funding. That doesn’t go anywhere near covering running costs, especially for children with special educational needs. So, we depend on paying parents and we don’t have any paying parents post-Covid.”

She added: “And we don’t have any paying parents because the UK has some of the most expensive childcare costs in the world,” she added.

The nursery needs £100,000 to stay open for another year, which would allow their current cohort of children to get to primary school undisrupted.

“It would make a big difference to the children who are already here in the nursery if we could stay open. That would let them grow up and get to school, and provide stability for them and the parents,” said Ms Papadaki.

“Parents have asked us about raising funds, but I don’t want to give them false hope. There’s a very short window for applying for other nursery spots. Unless we reach a target of about £100,000 it won’t work.”

Parents told how much they had valued the nursery. “I’m very distressed and disappointed about the closure,” said parent Sarah Sharif.

“I’ve been coming here since 2013 with my first child, he’s 14 now. When I brought him here first, they picked up that he had a speech delay. I wasn’t aware of that as a first-time mum. They helped me with the process immediately. I got help from a speech and language therapist who they referred to me.”

She added: “Then, he developed really well and he was able to speak. The attention you get one-to-one here is really good, I don’t think you get that anywhere else. I’ve brought all my five children here. My heart ­doesn’t let me bring them to any other place.

“I have turned down other places because I wanted my twins to stay here and develop. It’s a big emotional stress, and I’ve got to go to work. The timing is so bad. How am I going to fit in finding them a new nursery? It’s a lot for me,” she said.

According to Ms Papadaki, the nursery is an essential offering for children with special educational needs. “More than half the children have special educational needs,” she said.

“That’s part of the reasons parents choose us – our setting is smaller, they expect better care. It’s difficult for any parent, but for a parent of a child with special educational needs, they worry about sending them into a bigger setting.”