Business Development - A big build up

Hot on the heels of launching its second nursery in the summer, Capellas is now planning to almost double capacity at its first setting in Coventry. It has just secured planning permission to convert the building next door into a complementary nursery premises, and is currently going through the process of buying the property.

Capellas started life in 2008 and operates from a converted house in Balsall Common. Its last Ofsted report awarded the nursery an overall good with outstanding features, and particularly noted the excellence of its parent partnerships.

The development of the next door building will enable it to expand its offer to 90 places and owner Sonya Wallbank reports she is aiming for an Easter launch.

She says she was always aware that demand for places would outstrip availability, but this has recently become more pressing.

'We currently have space for 46 children including 12 babies, and the waiting list is growing,' she says. 'I had a teacher who was going back to work and needed a place in our baby room, which we just didn't have available, and this is a typical situation.'

Capellas' baby room is currently housed in an upstairs room under the eaves, and while this is a cosy space Ms Wallbank says there will be more flexibility to move children on to a larger space in the new building when they are ready.

'Our babies settle very well in the upstairs room,' she says. 'However, we move them when it is developmentally appropriate rather than by age, and the new building will give them a lot of scope to enjoy more space and be in a suitable environment with older children.'

Acquiring the building will also mean that a state-of-the-art kitchen can be built. 'It has an integral garage, which we are converting into a kitchen,' says Ms Wallbank. 'Our nursery chef has been working in a very small space and she is now going to have the opportunity to design the kitchen of her dreams. She is really looking forward to that.'

The nursery has built a strong reputation for quality in the village in which it is based. Ms Wallbank is a child psychologist and has prioritised ensuring staff have a strong understanding of child development and the ability to work well with parents.

'It is good to have that recognition,' she says. 'There are a lot of working families in the village as it has very good transport links into Birmingham and London, so we have a very good client base. We have three local builders who have tendered for the conversion and we are really looking forward to getting started.'

http://www.capellas.co.uk/