Parents fight closure of university campus nursery

Parents have launched a campaign to fight the "very sudden decision" to shut a nursery on a university campus.

The University of Bradford has told about 100 families who use the Laisteridge Lane nursery it can no longer afford to fund the service as it needs to make £13m in savings.

At least 1,090 people have so far signed a petition to save the nursery, which is rated as outstanding by Ofsted.

The university said it faced significant financial challenges "like many in the UK".

Dr Jinan Rabbee has one child at the nursery and another due to start in April.

She said: "At the moment it seems like a very sudden decision and it's looking at children as numbers rather than people.

"It's not considering their parents or the families or even their employees and how the knock-on effects might affect the community."

In a note sent by the university, it said a formal consultation with nursery employees would start on Monday and close on Wednesday 7 May.

It said: "During this time, nursery staff members will be able to share their feedback, ask questions and suggest alternative options.

"However, if no viable alternative can be found, the nursery will close at 18:00 on Thursday 31 July 2025."

The BBC has been in contact with some students and staff who did not want to be identified.

Many felt the decision to close the nursery had already been made.

Dr Rabbee, a researcher who works elsewhere, said: "I would say that they need to reconsider and look at other, creative alternatives.

"There has to be another solution to keep it open and to give children the ability to keep going there.

"It [the university] has not considered those single parents, or single working parents, or parents who don't have a community around them - something is going to have to give."

The nursery was set up in 1992 for staff and students and later opened up to the wider community.

Half the current users are members of the public, while 34% are students and 16% employees.

A University of Bradford spokesperson said: "We have taken the difficult decision to no longer operate the University of Bradford nursery from Thursday 31 July 2025.

"While the nursery provides outstanding childcare provision, it has been subsidised by the university for many years, which is no longer affordable."

The spokesperson would not reveal how much it cost to run the nursery every year.

But they said the university must make at least £13m in savings and "prioritise our core business of delivering high-quality higher education and research".

The spokesperson said: "We appreciate this is a challenging time for parents and nursery staff and are doing everything we can to support them."

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