Bright Stars nursery group has its funding withdrawn by Scottish council

The group, which re-branded this summer, operates 79 settings across Scotland and England, has been told by East Lothian Council it can no longer deliver the 1,140 funded hours (around 30 hours a week during term time) at its newly acquired nurseries in Haddington and North Berwick.

The council said it had made the decision to withdraw funding for the three Pear Tree nurseries in Haddington and the Pumpkin Patch Nursery in North Berwick, which Bright Stars took over in July this year, as they ‘failed to meet the Scottish Government’s National Standards of Early Learning and Childcare’.

As of 7 October, the nurseries will no longer be able to offer the 1,140 funded hours. The decision is thought to impact more than 150 three and four-year-olds.

A spokesperson for Bright Stars Nurseries said they were ‘dismayed’ by the decision which is ‘not supported by sound evidence or in the best interests of families’. It urged the council to reconsider.

The nursery group has said it will cover the shortfall in funding for all eligible children up till Christmas at a cost of over £362,000.

The move comes after the three Pear Tree Nurseries temporarily closed last month due to an outbreak of E.coli and cases of sickness, which the council makes clear in a letter to parents did not impact upon their decision to withdraw funding. East Lothian Council says its agreement with the nurseries to provide the 1,140 hours expired on 31 July, but it continued to provide the funding for a ‘period of discussion with the new owners’.

In the letter from East Lothian Council to parents using the Bright Stars nurseries on 15 September, the local authority says it has concerns surrounding ‘staffing, leadership and management’ of the settings and the nursery group, the ‘physical environment’ and ‘inclusion’.

It states, ‘East Lothian Council is legally required to ensure that the National Standards of Early Learning and Childcare, set by the Scottish Government and required of all nurseries, are met. These National Standards cover ten key criteria. In relation to the four settings owned by Bright Stars Nursery Group in East Lothian, we have particular concerns about Criteria 1 – Staffing, Leadership and Management, and in particular related to the overall leadership of the Bright Stars Nursery Group, Criteria 3 – Physical Environment, Criteria 4 – Self-evaluation and Improvement and Criteria 6 – Inclusion.

‘Taking all of this into consideration, we reached the conclusion that the National Standards are not being met and therefore East Lothian Council cannot enter into a new contract with Bright Stars Nursery Group at this stage. We have informed Bright Stars Nursery Group that the Council is open to reviewing this position on application after a period of 12 months, subject to evidence of improvement of the aforementioned concerns.’

Local reports suggest there have been concerns raised about one of the nurseries over alleged exclusion of children with additional needs.

In response, a spokesperson for the nursery group said, ‘Bright Stars is committed to an inclusive policy of providing high-quality care and support to meet the particular needs of each individual child. Our 79 nurseries across Scotland and England provide support to around 150 children with additional needs. We work with local authorities, the Care Inspectorate, and clinical professionals to establish the right approach for each individual child.’

In a statement, an East Lothian Council spokesperson said, ‘Following careful consideration, the Council’s view is that the Bright Stars Nursery Group has not been meeting the National Standards of Early Learning and Childcare as set by the Scottish Government in its four East Lothian- based settings. We have been engaging with Bright Stars Nursery Group for some months on this issue to find a suitable resolution. However, unfortunately we have been unable to enter into a new contract with them and 1,140 hours funding will not be available from 7 October 2022. 

‘We understand that parents will have many questions about their next steps and our team is available to offer information and support.’

Bright Stars' full statement

The full statement from Bright Stars Nurseries states, ‘We are dismayed by this decision by East Lothian Council which we feel is not supported by sound evidence and is not in the best interests of families in Haddington and North Berwick, and we urge the council to reconsider. 

‘Early years education funding, which comes from the Scottish Government via the council, helps our parents to meet the costs of their childcare. As part of our commitment to putting the interests of the children in our care first, and to provide stability to our families, Bright Stars Nurseries has undertaken to make up the additional financial burden of over £362,000 which would have been received from East Lothian Council, to cover the shortfall in funding for all eligible children until we break for Christmas. 

‘We believe this will offer sufficient time for the council to see what quality care and education means to us, giving them the confidence that the safety, care and education of the children they are funding is in the best possible hands. 

‘Since we acquired Pear Tree Nurseries in June and Pumpkin Patch Nursery in July, we are investing more than £300,000 in a programme of transforming the facilities and further developing our teams. As one of the UK’s largest nursery operators, we remain committed to delivering the highest quality nursery provision, which meets the individual needs and best interests of every child, across all of our 79 settings in Scotland and England, the majority of which are rated the equivalent of good and outstanding.’

The National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) called the decision by East Lothian Council ‘worrying’.

 Director of policy Jonathan Broadbery said, ‘We are already seeing nurseries close throughout the UK, and the removal of settings from the area will make it very difficult for families in East Lothian to access the care that they require.

‘The nurseries’ owners have demonstrated their commitment towards children’s education, experience and development in agreeing to pay for funded children for the rest of the term. If the local authority’s decision affects the long-term sustainability of these settings, we would also have concerns about the possible impact on places for younger children.

‘NDNA Scotland worked closely with COSLA and all other stakeholders to create partnership principles that established supportive, positive working relationships between local authority and partner providers. 

‘These principles were created to support continued quality improvement and to ensure that children and families have the access to ELC places that they need.’