Statement from Parents 8th April 2024

On behalf of Sprig Ludens nursery parents, but also wider SYCT service users, community members and our almost 900 petition signatories, I would like to share how disappointed we are in the recent actions of SYCT’s leadership and board.

7 weeks ago, Sprig Ludens nursery parents were told the nursery would shut at the end of March. Then SYCT said it would stay open until 19 July, having parents increase their children’s hours, commit to a two month notice period and pay invoices early in exchange.

The nursery then shut for two days in March with no explanation, followed by complete closure with no notice whatsoever on 20 March.

Over 20 families have had to take time off work unexpectedly and, in many cases, pay for emergency childcare, all while our children’s belongings remain in the setting, with no goodbye for our distressed children and without adequate timely refunds or financial compensation for parents adversely affected.

But the damage caused by SYCT goes far beyond just a large group of nursery parents.

SYCT’s other provisions have been inconsistent or regularly closed since at least Summer 2023, yet you continue to receive funding from Lambeth Council.

Lambeth council are a major funder of SYCT and you are occupying the Hut, a publicly owned building – whatever this space is used for needs to be of service to the community.

The Hut has lied dormant almost every day since the nursery closure over two weeks ago. There was no consultation or engagement from SYCT with staff, service users and the wider community before you made major changes to your services.

SYCT’s board, who are accountable for all of the charity's decisions, do not represent their diverse service users and are perpetually difficult to access. Even in the face of widespread scrutiny and irrefutable reputational damage, when you do hear from them, they are consistently dismissive and belittling.

Parents expressed keen interest in wanting to work with SYCT, including providing charitable donations on top of nursery fees, offering support with consulting the community, developing ideas and implementing fundraising initiatives – all of these ideas have been shut down.

Meanwhile, the community has observed that there has been no public proactive fundraising effort from SYCT since its new leadership.

As a charity and recipient of public funds, all we ever wanted from you as a community was honesty, openness and accountability. What we have been met with in every interaction is obfuscation, condescension and at times, outright dishonesty. On a recent call with a board member, parents were shockingly laughed at repeatedly.

With almost 900 petition signatories, 22 active campaign members, Green party public endorsement, hundreds of comments on SYCT’s poor conduct across social media and both regional and national media coverage, our momentum is growing and we will continue to pursue our cause, which comes down to the following key objectives:

• Drive accountability from SYCT leadership, including a public apology on their recent conduct and poor treatment of their service users.
• Ensure all parents at a financial loss due to SYCT’s recent actions are compensated.
• Support the reopening of a nursery at the hut through the most viable option.

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