Shaw nursery firm under investigation closes

Headstarts, which ran a centre in Almond Avenue, Shaw, closed with immediate effect last Monday.
The nursery was set up in 1990 by manager Sara Vare and also had three centres in Swindon and one in Basingstoke.
The provider was being investigated by Ofsted after a three-year-old boy went missing from a Swindon centre in June.
The child was found in the play area of a primary school next to the nursery.
But the education regulator said this week that it was not responsible for the closure.
An Ofsted spokesperson said: “We were investigating this nursery provider about a child going missing from one of its nurseries when it told us, on Monday 16 September, that it would close all its premises.”
Children at the Newbury centre have been moved to alternative providers, said a spokesman for West Berkshire Council, Keith Ulyatt, who added that the council had been informed that the nursery was to close.
In response to the closure, Ms Vare’s partner Clive Vare, who had witnessed the unfolding drama, said that the nurseries had previously been rated as outstanding or good but that recent “draconian” inspections had seen ratings drop.
“I am not intimately involved with the nursery business, but I have observed what has gone on over the summer with incredulity,” he said.
“A perfectly good, safe child-centred business with excellent staff and superb reputation built up over 20 years has been destroyed in a matter of weeks over things that most would look on as everyday occurrences or minor administrative infringements. There was no meaningful appeal, or notice to improve.
“No one foresaw the possibility that a sudden closure would happen and it was not something anyone, from the local authorities down, was expecting or prepared for. The staff were as stunned and mortified as we were, but they have been supportive and know that Sara is doing her best for them.
“The sudden closure of the nurseries has meant sorting out fees owed or refunded is on-going as a necessity to ensure any liabilities are minimised.
“The focus now is to attempt to move the significant assets in the equipment and goodwill contained in the business over to new providers. There are several parties with whom Sara is already in serious discussions.
“The staff were given statutory notice and the various redundancy payments are being worked out while at the same time Sara is trying to save their jobs.
“The obvious thing to do would be to simply fold the business and walk away, but Sara is doing everything to avoid that.”
Mr Vare’s comments follows waning confidence from the Early Years sector over the watchdog’s ability to inspect and regulate. The ‘Ofsted Big Conversation’ has been launched by the chief executive of the London Early Years Foundation, June O’Sullivan, owing to her concerns about the new Ofsted approach and its aggressive tone.
The conversation has sparked comments from childcare providers across the country about their sudden drop in ratings and inconsistent inspection methods.