Nurseries in England warn they face ruin without Covid support

Nurseries in England have warned they could go out of business without urgent financial support during lockdown, while staff described feeling unsafe and unsupported as coronavirus hospitalisations soar.

During the first national lockdown starting in March last year, nurseries were closed and the government provided funding for all the children on their books, but this time they have been left open and money is only given for those who attend.

Many families are choosing to keep their children at home and private nurseries are not able to charge fees for children who are self-isolating, leaving them struggling to pay their staffing, rent and other fixed costs.

Tulip Siddiq, the shadow minister for children and early years, said early years providers were being placed in an impossible financial position and that nearly 19,000 could close within six months.

Pressure is also growing on the government to include nursery staff as one of the priority groups for the vaccine, after nearly half a million people signed a petition calling for their inclusion alongside teachers, forcing a parliamentary debate on Monday evening.

Quick guide Who in the UK will get the new Covid-19 vaccine first?

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The government’s joint committee on vaccination and immunisation has published a list of groups of people who will be prioritised to receive a vaccine for Covid-19 in the UK. The list is:

1 All those 80 years of age and over and health and social care workers.

2 All those 75 and over.

3 All those 70 and over.

4 All those 65 and over.

5 Adults under 65 at high at risk of serious disease and mortality from Covid-19.

6 Adults under 65 at moderate risk of at risk of serious disease and mortality from Covid-19.

7 All those 60 and over.

8 All those 55 and over.

9 All those 50 and over.

10 Rest of the population.

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The health minister, Matt Hancock, acknowledged nursery workers had “a good case” on the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, while hinting tougher lockdown restrictions could be introduced, including closing nurseries.

Following calls from unions last week for nurseries to close to all but vulnerable children and those of key workers, the chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, said on Monday that nurseries were remaining open to “allow people who need to go to work or need to do particular activities, to do so.” He emphasised the low risk of the virus to children, but nursery workers said they felt the risk to staff was being ignored.

Carly Morrison, who runs Little Lambs nursery in Bolton, said she was “absolutely shocked” when the government announced nurseries would remain open. She said: “The whole country has been instructed to avoid going out but my staff have been instructed to work with no social distancing, no PPE because we can’t wear it when we’re working with the children, no prospect of vaccinations and no access to priority tests.”