Nursery closures are up by 50 per cent, and most likely to take place in areas of the greatest deprivation, research by National Day Nurseries Association has found.
Nurseries in England continue to close ‘at an alarming rate’, with fifty per cent more closures in the academic year 2022-23, compared with the previous year, according to research by National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA).
The data looked at closures between September 2022 to the start of this academic year and found that 216 nursery closures in England compared with 144 during 2021-22 - an increase of 50 per cent. This takes place as parents and providers are gearing up for the planned expansion of Government-funded childcare places from April 2024.
While closures affect all areas, analysis of the data continued to show that they are most likely to take place in the areas of greatest deprivation. In the last academic year alone 14.5 per cent of nursery closures were in the 10 per cent. most deprived areas of England. This is on top of 12.7 per cent in the 10 per cent most deprived areas the previous year.
