Parent hits out over Harborough nursery fee increase
A parent has hit out over a ‘shocking financial decision’ at her daughter’s nursery in Harborough.
Mum Stephanie Treadway says she is disappointed and ‘difficult conversations’ would be needed after she was notified about a rise in nursery fees at Progress House Nursery.
The Northampton Road nursery was formerly independent before being taken over by nursery group Partou 18 months ago.
Stephanie, who has contacted the nursery on the matter, called it a ‘shocking financial decision’, driven by ‘commercial greed’.
The mum claims the daily fee she pays is set to increase from just under £60 to £75; in a move that she says puts Progress House ‘substantially above’ all other local Harborough nurseries in terms of a day rate fee.
She said: “I am honestly lost for words.
“Parents that are not eligible for funding continue to time and time again be exploited by the system and we are the ones that are being penalised by the families that are in receipt of it, yet we’re the ones that are paying for all the money to be ‘seen’ by the nursery.”
She acknowledged the nursery’s high standards and reputation – following an Ofsted ‘good’ rating earlier this year – but added there were some other ‘fantastic childcare facilities’ charging ‘significantly less’.
She told the Mail: “We‘re not afraid to make bold decisions to put the future of our child and family at the forefront of all of our decision making. This [...] will bring with it some very difficult conversations at home.”
Stephanie is among parents who opt in for the early drop-off care, meaning an overall rise of 18 per cent. Those who pay for the core hours 8am to 6pm will face an 11 per cent fee rise when September arrives.
A spokesperson for Partou said that they understood childcare fee increases are ‘a cause of concern for families, particularly in the current economic climate’.
They said: “We want to reassure parents that these changes have been carefully considered and they are necessary to ensure we continue to deliver high-quality care and education, while also fairly supporting our team and managing rising operational costs.”
They explained the group had held off making any significant changes to pricing for over two years – aside from a four per cent increase between January 2023 and April 2025 – during which, operating costs ‘rose substantially’ due to increases in National Minimum Wage, as well as food, rent and national insurance costs.
This has resulted in a 11 per cent increase for standard core hours and 18 per cent for those opting into early drop-off care.
They added: “The new modular pricing model allows families to tailor their care to their actual needs without paying for hours they don’t use.
We’ve benchmarked our pricing carefully and are confident we remain competitively placed within the local market. These changes ensure we can continue to deliver high-quality care and education, fairly compensate our team, and maintain safe, well-resourced environments for children to thrive.”