Arbour Square nursery is an Ofsted registered nursery located at the heart of the London borough of Tower Hamlets. It can register children between 18 months to 5 years. Arbour Square nursery was opened many years ago to support local and surrounded areas students who are studying at the college. The nursery also welcomes working parents, staff, students, and families eligible to receive the 2 and 3 years old funding.
The nursery provides home from home environment offers excellent opportunities for children to develop play and learn many new skills in a fun environment. The approach to childcare is to provide a loving, nurturing safe environment. Staff are highly qualified and experienced and pride themselves in closely observing and learning the interests and needs of each child and using them to further their growing development. The nursery also provides excellent placement opportunities for students on childcare courses. The nursery has superb facilities and outdoor spaces, including a forest garden for children to ride, run, jump, and play with their friends. Students are happy and at ease having their children onsite at the nursery while they study.
Over the years the nursery has accommodated students studying various courses such as access courses, nursing, health & social care, hair and beauty, GCSE’s, vocational courses and ESOL. ESOL courses still remain the most popular and having the nursery on-site has made it more possible for adult learners to learn English in order to progress on to higher level courses and employment whilst supporting their children and family. The community are very proud to have this facility.
On the 20th of June 2022 the college proposed to close the nursery on the ground that “It is not financially viable” which means it is not making money. Despite there being several funding opportunities for the students from the government. The college should be doing everything in its power to safeguard these vital facilities for the college and the local community.
Closing this nursery will means taking away the right to education of the local community, especially women. ESOL students are devastated and horrified after finding out the news of the closure. The college is instrumental in empowering the local community & building confidence, in particular for women through vital education; they otherwise are in an unfortunate situation where the lack of good local education facilities with childcare leaves them isolated & lacking confidence, skills and qualifications. This will fundamentally affect their longer term aims of securing employment. Instead of closing services the college should pride itself on providing opportunities to education to those who would otherwise be without. The students accessing the nursery: women, migrants, low-income students, are already facing multiple barriers to their education. The difficulties accessing childcare for study are set to increase as the cost-of-living crisis and squeeze on already low incomes deepens. Suggestions that students on courses at Arbour Square access childcare facilities in the other NCC sites in Poplar or Hackney, for many will just not be financially or practically viable.

Please help us save this essential community resource by signing the petition

There is still time to save the nursery if we make our voices heard as the consultation period is open until 31st July 2022