Brighton nursery officially opens as part of Aurora Academies Trust

The nursery joins the Trust following a decision by Brighton & Hove City Council to transfer it from the council. The transfer follows a period of consultation with staff, families and the local community, and marks the start of an exciting new chapter for the nursery as part of the Aurora family.

Aurora already operates six nurseries across its family of schools, with extensive experience of delivering high-quality early years provision. The transfer will secure the long-term future of the nursery for children and their families across the Whitehawk community, ensuring this vital service continues to support children for years to come. Aurora will continue to deliver year-round, full-day provision through the nursery, ensuring a smooth transition for staff, children and their families while building on the strengths that already make Roundabout Nursery such a valued part of the community. The nursery will continue to operate from its existing Whitehawk Road building, and is now part of City Academy Whitehawk, the local primary academy which shares the same site. City Academy Whitehawk's early years provision was rated “Outstanding” by Ofsted in 2024, reflecting the Trust's commitment to giving every child the best possible start in life. The Trust has worked closely with Brighton and Hove Council throughout the transition to ensure the nursery continues to provide the high-quality early years provision that children rightly deserve. Aurora looks forward to continuing that relationship as Roundabout Nursery settles into its new home within the Trust.

James Freeston, Chief Executive at Aurora Academies Trust, said: "We are absolutely delighted to officially welcome Roundabout Nursery into the Aurora family. Roundabout was already a wonderful nursery with dedicated staff, strong community roots and a reputation that families value enormously, and we’re excited to build on those strengths and help the nursery flourish for many years to come. As a Trust, our priority is to provide the best possible standard of education to the children we support, and we will therefore ensure that the children and families at Roundabout Nursery experience a smooth transition."

Councillor Emma Daniel, Cabinet Member at Brighton & Hove City Council, added: "We're pleased to see Roundabout Nursery officially join Aurora Academies Trust. We know that local families feel passionately about Roundabout Nursery, how much it means to the community in Whitehawk and the important role the nursery has played in so many people's lives.

"We'd like to thank everyone involved for their hard work in reaching this point, and we look forward to seeing Roundabout Nursery continue to flourish as part of Aurora Academies Trust."