A HAMPSHIRE nursery is to shut leaving more than 100 parents with one month to find a new place for their children.

Busy Bees Nursery in Chandler's Ford sent an email to parents on November 18 announcing the sudden closure on December 20.

The nursery currently has 114 children and 16 members of staff.

In the email, the nursery claim that the closure is following a review which highlighted a lack of profit.

The letter reads: "Providing affordable and quality childcare is important to us and we have supported Chandler's Ford nursery for many years without profit.

"Due to high rental costs at the nursery, which are increasing each year, and we believe that will continue, we cannot provide affordable childcare at the nursery."

Busy Bees is a UK childcare provider with 375 nurseries across the UK and Ireland.

On Wednesday an Ofsted report was published giving the nursery an "inadequate" rating.

The report states that staff fail to provide children with good-quality teaching and that arrangements for safeguarding are "not effective".

The report highlights that staff fail to maintain robust records of any

concerns about children's welfare and do not act on matters that affect children's welfare in a "timely way".

The pre-school has been described as a "busy" and "chaotic" environment which "limits quieter children's confidence".

It said: "Leaders show a weak understanding of safer recruitment procedures.

"For example, they are unaware that they need to complete additional checks for staff who have lived or worked abroad to fully check staff's suitability."

It added: "The provision for the older children does not meet their needs effectively.

"Children wander around the play areas with occasional interaction

from staff.

"This does not provide children with opportunities to develop their communication and language skills."

Parents at the nursery, which is open from 7am to 7pm, have described the closure is "gruelling".

Jamie Fryer, a doctor at Southampton General Hospital, has a two-year-old son who attends the nursery.

He said: "It's a big shock, it's a shock to all the staff as well.

"They sent us a Google Map of all of the other nurseries near by.

"It's pretty gruelling, most parents are working and the majority are teachers and emergency service workers because of how flexible the hours are there.

"We've all been put into a horrendous situation."