Childcare group increases portfolio with Lancs acquisition

The Just Childcare Group – which currently operates nurseries in the North West, Yorkshire and the South West – has acquired Stonehouse Childcare nursery in Leyland for an undisclosed sum.

The addition of the business – which has served the Leyland area for more than 30 years – sees the Denton-based Just Childcare group extend its portfolio to 49 settings.

Stonehouse Childcare is an Ofsted ‘Good’ setting, which has a capacity for 90 child places.

The two-storey nursery features vibrant and spacious playrooms as well as a large outdoor facility, complete with a sports field and outdoor classroom.

Just Childcare now provides more than 3,500 child places across the group of nurseries, all of which are Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Good’.

The group has grown from just seven nurseries in 2015, establishing a central support centre in Manchester.

Just Childcare chief executive David Johnson said: “Stonehouse Childcare has a long-established reputation as one of the best nurseries in the Leyland area, providing exceptional care in a nurturing and inspiring environment.

“The setting is a short distance away from nurseries we already operate in Preston and Chorley and shares our ethos that children should be at the centre of everything we do, so, naturally, we see them as a perfect fit for the Just Childcare group.

“We look forward to working alongside the nursery’s long-standing team of childcare professionals to develop the success of their settings further.”