Nursery World - Editor's View (103)

It's all go in the private nursery sector with nursery chains continuing to consolidate and purchase other groups. Following the publication of the last Nursery Chains supplement in June we had to print an updated version of our Top 20 league table when Nord Anglia Education purchased Jigsaw Day Nurseries and replaced Asquith Court Schools as the UK's largest provider. The early years sector then saw more major change as Asquith Court merged with Kidsunlimited to form the Nursery Years Group which rose to the top of the league table. It's rumoured among industry insiders that there is set to be yet more shuffling in the ranks with another couple of nursery chains on the brink of being sold.

The early years sector then saw more major change as Asquith Court merged with Kidsunlimited to form the Nursery Years Group which rose to the top of the league table. It's rumoured among industry insiders that there is set to be yet more shuffling in the ranks with another couple of nursery chains on the brink of being sold.

But as the major chains get ever bigger, and some individual nurseries for that matter (see the 'Quality' feature on page 12), how will top-level management maintain high standards of childcare in their settings?

We talk to Nord Anglia (see page 4) to find out how the chain proposes to balance its enormous growth with the daily demands of maintaining occupancy levels and a quality workforce.

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