Brian Griffiths resigned his registration of Burton Latimer Day Nursery, which had two settings in Kettering, North- amptonshire, in July last year, after pleading guilty to one offence of possessing indecent pictures of children and 19 of making indecent pictures of children (Nursery World, 17 November 2005).
Acorn Childcare, a Milton Keynes-based chain of five nurseries, has now become the registered owner of the larger of the two settings, taking over from Mr Griffith's wife and daughter, who have been running the nurseries since he was charged. The smaller of the two nurseries was bought by another local nursery last year.
Under the takeover agreement, Acorn Childcare will keep on all existing staff.
Zoe Raven, managing director of Acorn Childcare, said, 'I'm excited about the potential of this nursery. It's a fabulous, purpose-built premises. But for me, the biggest challenge is taking on the staff team. They've had a difficult year and have felt demotivated and demoralised - some have even suffered verbal abuse when dressed in their nursery uniforms in the town.'
Ms Raven completed an MBA degree last year and said she has experience of change management. She said that she plans to double the number of children attending from 30 to 60 while downsizing the nursery's capacity from 84 to 65 in order to focus on quality. An open day and fun day are to be held on 16 September.
