A Sheffield university nursery has reached out to parents notifying them of its possible closure in July.

Collegiate Nursery situated in Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) on Broomgrove Road caters for children of university staff and students, but is open to the general public.

In a report submitted to the BBC, a spokesperson from SHU stated the nursery has been suffering from rising costs and falling attendance since 2020. This has resulted in a loss of £600,000.

The nursery was rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted in 2023, and is notable for its tailored care towards children with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND).

They reported that the number of children attending had dropped from 52 to 39 in the past few years.

Councillor Minesh Parekh has taken to Facebook to voice his concerns on the matter.

He wrote: “I was really concerned to hear that Sheffield Hallam University is considering closing its nursery.

“At a time when the government is trying to make nursery and childcare more available, and increasing funding to that end, it’s really disappointing and short-sighted for them to consider closing such an important site.”

He included a petition on the matter in his post that has been circulated throughout Facebook.

The petition states: “We are urging the university to reconsider its proposal, ensure parent views are taken into account in any decision, and to ensure transparency in consultation processes.”

It has currently obtained 1,042 signatures.

In the commentary of the petition, one contributor, Mandy, wrote: “With a government push to open up more pre-school places, it seems mad to close this setting, especially for all of those children already settled, and for whom it would create a big upheaval to more to another setting.”

Another contributor, A, wrote: “Please use much needed common sense. Sheffield Hallam Nursery must be supported not eliminated.”

SHU have been contacted for a comment.