With a CV that spans a career in the city and in book publishing, Simon Arthur would have liked to see his nursery business develop more rapidly than it has since its launch in April. But he is by no means discouraged.
With his wife Shirley he runs the Pelican Nursery School from St Anselm's church hall in Kennington, south London. It provides sessional care and education for nine children, following the Montessori approach, and will be welcoming another five children in January.
The interior of what used to be a Victorian mission school has been beautifully refurbished with Community Playthings equipment, and the outdoor area rebuilt. Mr Arthur, who recently qualified as a Montessori teacher, plans to move into full daycare next year.
'Kennington is a mixed area, but it seems more families are coming into it,' he says. 'We have had a lot of enquiries about full daycare, so we are going to change the way we operate to take advantage of this wider market. We will extend our hours and offer care throughout the year, though term-time places will be available.'
Mr Arthur reports that attending local events to raise awareness among families has been more effective than advertising. He runs a successful Saturday morning art club, targeted at fathers who want to 'give Mum a lie-in'.
'We have recruited quite a few children through this,' he says. 'It costs £5 to come along and spend the morning in the nursery doing arts and crafts, and it is popular with dads. It means that families can come into the nursery without making a big commitment, and see how their children like it.'
Profitability is still some way off for the Pelican Nursery, but Mr Arthur hopes to be breaking even by next year. He has already used a significant portion of his capital and is concerned that if this run out, he will need to raise further funds from the bank. 'With the credit crunch this is obviously a worry,' he says.
He is also concerned about the implications of the Nursery Education Grant and the extended free entitlement. This is another reason why he feels it prudent to move towards full daycare.
But long-term prospects are exciting. North Lambeth Parish plans to develop a new community centre with space for a nursery that Pelican could occupy. Mr Arthur feels there is also potential to turn the church into a prep-school.
'There is certainly a market gap for this,' he says. 'But my first priority is the nursery, and I will be delighted to see that achieve real success.'
