We are a coalition of local parents, educational practitioners and community members in Streatham, London who are deeply affected by the sudden closure of Sprig Ludens Nursery in Streatham Vale Park.

This abrupt action is having a devastating effect on our local community.

It has left over 20 local families scrambling for childcare solutions and paying hundreds of pounds for emergency childcare.

It has left the nursery staff without jobs and it represents an unacceptable loss to our local community. 

We are demanding that:

• - Lambeth Council and Streatham Community Youth Trust (SYCT) take all possible steps to ensure that Sprig Ludens is reopened as a matter of urgency
• That ALL decisions that affect the Sprig Ludens Site (the 'Hut’) including the selection of a suitable third party to take over the provision, are reached in full consultation with the staff at Sprig Ludens, the parents and the local community.

We are calling on our local community to take action by signing this petition that we intend to present to Lambeth council! 

Please read about what happened below.

Sprig Ludens Forest School

Sprig Ludens is a forest school nursery run by the local charity Streatham Community Youth Trust (SYCT). It was set up in 2018 by a team of inspirational educators seeking to provide an outdoor education setting to local children. 

This nursery is unique, providing affordable early years care in a forest school setting to allow children to be outside for most of their early years.

The nursery provides a vital haven for local children. A large garden to play in, grow vegetables and flowers, surrounded by nature in an educational setting that enhances the physical and mental health of the children.

Committed educational practitioners

Sprig Ludens has been led by a special group of committed educational practitioners, many of whom live in the community. They have worked hard over many years to develop the nursery and turn it into a beautiful and creative space for the children.

What happened?

On February 19th 2024, parents were told that the nursery would be forced to close at the end of March. The reasons stated included unspecified financial pressures and issues relating to staff provision. 

This would have left many local working parents suddenly without childcare and their children - settled in the nursery - with the disruption of a single term of care elsewhere, before having to move again to start school in September. 

Over the following weeks, parents were then told the nursery would stay open until the summer. As a result, many took their names off waiting lists of other providers, where they had made applications. 

Finally, on Wednesday 20th March, parents learned that the nursery would close with immediate effect - leaving them with no childcare.

No consultation

The original timeframe of the proposed closure left the nursery staff without a consultation period. 

Consultation with parents and the community was not conducted prior to this meeting, which is not in line with guidance on good practice from the NCVO or LGA. 

It is also unclear if an Equalities Impact Assessment was undertaken before a decision was reached about this essential local service provision.

Impact

Streatham Vale is not an affluent area of London. It is located in an area of Lambeth on the border with Merton, and is in the third highest decile of deprivation in the country (out of 10) (2022).

The sudden closure is putting immense emotional and financial pressure on parents who are now left to their own devices to find and fund alternative arrangements at short notice. 

It has abruptly taken away the routine, stability and social interaction that is essential for young children.

And it is leaving dedicated and committed childcare practitioners with an uncertain future. 

Lambeth and SYCT must be accountable 

We urge Lambeth Council and SYCT to find the means to urgently reopen the site, taking into account the far-reaching implications on both children, parents, staff and the local community.

Poor and misleading communication regarding this matter has left parents and staff feeling disregarded as stakeholders in the education of the children.

We demand transparency about what led to this decision and to be fully involved in the decisions that are made about the site.

The voice of our community is essential

Please sign this petition if you believe in preserving vital community resources like our beloved nursery.

Your support will make a difference to the families and staff that depend on Sprig Ludens and to the future of the site at Streatham Vale. 

Further information can be found here:

‘Heartbreaking’: the nursery forced to close over Hunt’s free childcare policy​

SYCT Annual Accounts (2022)​

Lambeth Council lease Streatham Vale Park to SYCT