Nursery groups grow their businesses with further acquisitions

With the purchase of Farley Nursery Schools, Storal Learning now has 24 sites, providing over 2,000 places childcare places.

Based on the Scandinavian outdoor approach to early years education, Farley Nursery Schools was founded in 2006 by Sue and Gary Palmer, who have now retired from the sector. The three sites in Salisbury, Steeple Langford and Sparsholt, are all rated outstanding by Ofsted.

Managing director and co-founder of Storal Learning Varun Chanrai said, 'As a group, we pride ourselves on only selecting the best nurseries within a local community and cherishing each setting for its own special charm and uniqueness. The Farley nurseries are no exception, all with stimulating outdoor environments and passionate, knowledgeable teams.

‘Storal Learning is absolutely committed to building upon the legacy of high-quality care and early years education that is at the core of Farley’s offering. With the added contribution of our shared learnings, creative ideas and best practice across our sites, we will continuously enhance the quality of our nursery provision.’

Kids Planet, the UK’s third largest nursery group, has also acquired a chain of three settings in Lancashire.

The nursery group, which has bought Bonney Babies in Thornton-Cleveleys, now has 99 sites, offering over 10,000 places. Of the 99 nurseries the group has, 97 are currently registered with Ofsted.

Bonney Babies is a small family-based nursery chain that first opened 26 years ago in 1996.

Clare Roberts, chief executive of Kids Planet, said, ‘Bonney Babies is a dedicated provider with a focus on quality learning experiences for children through play and enjoyment. 

Being a family-based nursery, I see lots of synergies with Bonney Babies and ourselves, and we are thrilled to welcome and support the staff, children and families into the Kids Planet group.’