Nursery Announces Partial Closure Amid Staff Shortages

Jersey Nursery Partially Closing Due to Staff Shortages

A nursery in Jersey has announced the "difficult decision" to temporarily close part of its operation because of ongoing staff shortages.

Busy Bees confirmed that from Friday 3 October, its Jersey Leeward nursery in St Helier will shut its Toddler and Pre-School rooms. The baby room for under-twos will remain open.

The provider apologised to parents for the disruption, acknowledging the impact on families.

This follows a one-day closure in July, described at the time as a "last resort" after months of efforts to recruit and train new staff.

Staffing Challenges

In a statement, Busy Bees said the decision was made after a full review of operations. The review considered legally required staffing levels, apprenticeship timescales, recruitment trends, and support for existing staff.

The group said:

"We have made the difficult decision to temporarily close part of our Jersey Leeward nursery. Whilst places are available at our other nurseries for all the families affected by this decision, we understand the impact that this will have and apologise for the inconvenience caused."

It added that the decision was only taken after "exhausting all other options" and stressed that the priority remained the safety and education of children.

Support for Families and Staff

Divisional director Steve Goodchild confirmed that alternative places would be offered to all affected families at the group’s Castle Quays and La Providence nurseries. Staff from Leeward will also be redeployed to these sites.

He described the closure as a "temporary measure," though no firm reopening date has been set.

"We are unable to provide an exact timeline as to when the rooms will re-open but anticipate this will be within 6–12 months," he said.

Busy Bees said it is now working on plans to restore full capacity, including further investment in staff, reviewing its local support structures, and exploring ways to address wider recruitment challenges across the childcare sector.