A Sheffield nursery school is due to be evicted from a church on Friday because the organisation which owns the building claims it needs to save money to fund its own activities.
St Leonard’s Day Nursery in Longley has operated out of St Leonard’s Church since 1995 with no formal contract.
But since 2016, the Parochial Church Council (PCC), which manages the church, said it had tried to negotiate “fair and sustainable arrangements” in line with rising costs. However, the efforts to formalise this was unsuccessful.
It now claims it is at a “financial crossroads” and a notice was issued in September 2024 for the nursery to vacate a part of the church space to allow for the church’s mission to expand its services to the wider community.
A spokesperson for the Diocese of Sheffield said: “Over the years, the PCC has made significant efforts to accommodate the nursery, absorbing substantial costs for utilities, services and repairs that would typically covered under a formal rental agreement.”
According to parents, without the church facilities the nursery will not be compliant with the safeguarding standards set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework and will have to close.
Destany Shaw, whose daughter attends the school, said: “We as parents do not want to portray the church in a bad light but we want to get across how much this will hurt us as parents and as a community.”
The school has been known in the community for the quality of care it provides as well as its expertise with supporting children with special educational needs (SEN).
Chany Kilby, whose daughter has social anxiety, said: “The nursery has had such a big impact on her development and brought out her personality. She now speaks fluent sentences and can sing nursery rhymes and even count to five.”
An Ofsted inspection in January awarded the nursery with a ‘Good’ rating which is the second highest available. This standard of care has been maintained since 2016.
The Diocese statement added: “The PCC remains open to further facilitated negotiation with the nursery owner during this period. We remain committed to serving our community and ensuring that our church buildings are used in a way that benefits as many people as possible.”
