Nursery Closed down suddenly - advice

[morningbell]

Hi There,

Had a bit of an interesting situation play out recently.

Our child's nursery after a couple of days being closed (i believe due to staff shortages), sent an email stating that the Nursery would close permanently, with immediate effect.

This email went on to state that refunds would be provided for the month, but we'd need to send an email a different address to initiate this (i'm not sure why we need to do this rather than it being proactively administered).

There has been no response to an email i sent to this address last week.

The only other way we could have contacted the nursery was via it's landline, which of course rings out.

In the event that my suspicions get confirmed, and we are confronted with radio silence, does anyone have any suggestions as to the best course of action? It is not an insignificant amount of money which we would be owed.

I cant be sure whether the company (who had/have a nursery elsewhere) is solvent, so whether or not the Small Claims Court with a claim against the Director(s) would be the best way to pursue it?

Obviously it's a pretty stressful situation given we've had to try our best to get short notice child care. Any advice or pointers as to the correct steps to take in the event that we don't hear back on the refund would be appreciated!

[BebeTots]

Speak to your local authority. They will be aware if they have closed. They may even be able to offer some advice.

If the nursery is a limited company and has gone bust. You’ll probably be in a long line of creditors.

If they’ve been closed by Ofsted, then this could be another matter again.

I think to start, it would be prudent to contact them in the manner they have suggested. If they have closed due to unforeseen circumstances, perhaps they have a lot on their plate and are trying their best to get round to everyone. Maybe devising a list of what they owe to whom?

I’d probably try all means possible to contact them. Also try Facebook, did they have a page? Contact the owner/manager from there? Maybe their employees? They may be sympathetic and offer some advise.

[nannynick]

They are probably a limited company, so I would start by looking the company up on Companies House and seeing if that reveals anything useful - writing to the directors at the registered office address.

The Gazette may contain a listing within a few days if an insolvency practitioner has been appointed.

Use the email nursery has provided, keep trying to contact whomever that email is going to.