Nursery World - Out-of-school providers at risk as rent bills skyrocket

Many providers of before- and after-school clubs are facing closure as schools increase their rents, while a DfE report highlights safeguarding concerns for the sector. By Katy Morton

Funzone in Redditch had its rent hiked from £12,000 to £68,000

Out-of-school providers operating on school sites are increasingly being pushed out as schools hike up rents or bring provision in-house.

The Out-of-School Alliance (OOSA) told Nursery World it was becoming more common for schools, particularly those that are part of academies, to increase the amount of rent they charge to external providers to run breakfast and/or after-school and holiday clubs, effectively forcing them out of business.

Nursery Worldspoke to two experienced out-of-school providers who were operating from school sites and were forced out after their rent was increased.

One provider in Redditch, Worcestershire had to relocate her club after the school increased the rent from £12,000 to £68,000 per annum, last year. Another provider in Essex closed her out-of-school club, which had been operating below capacity since the pandemic, when the school continued to put up the rent.

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