St Anne's College nursery to close on 18 December

St Anne’s College will close its nursery for good on Friday 18 December, after running one since the 1960s. The college’s trustees decided it can no longer keep the 12-place nursery going after the Christmas break.

The college says it “was the first to establish a children’s nursery”. It did so so that its women academics could carry on with their careers after having children, at a time with “no maternity leave, sex equality legislation or flexible working policies”. (St Anne’s College, nursery page)

Why it is closing

The decision followed an outside expert review and a discussion at the college’s latest Governing Body meeting. The college gives three reasons:

• “ever more demanding” regulatory, safeguarding and governance rules for early years providers
• difficulty recruiting and keeping staff, especially qualified senior staff
• the cost of running a small 12-place nursery, on what it calls “an increasingly subsidised financial model”

It also points to fewer St Anne’s families taking up places, and to the wider range of childcare now open to university members, including the University of Oxford’s own nurseries.

Helen King, the principal, said the decision “has been taken with great sadness”. She thanked the nursery’s staff “for the exceptional care, dedication and commitment they have shown”.

What it means for you

• The nursery stays open until then. Hours are 8.45am to 5.15pm, Monday to Friday, until it closes on Friday 18 December.
• Help finding a new place. The college says it is working with families to find other childcare, with support from the university’s Childcare Services team.
• Support for college families. The trustees say they are drawing up proposals for how to support St Anne’s members with childcare in future. No details have been published yet.
• Looking for childcare in the city? Oxfordshire County Council’s find childcare page explains how to search for registered nurseries and childminders.