A day nursery and pre-school has been bought for an undisclosed sum by a teacher taking her first venture into business.

Springles Nursery in West Kingsdown, which has been operating for nearly 15 years, has been taken over Thembi Ndlovu, a qualified teacher with over 20 years’ experience.

The site, which looks after children aged three months to school age, is now owned by Them Fields, a company set up by Ms Ndlovu which has its registered office in Sittingbourne.

The takeover was secured with funding from Clydesdale Bank.

The nursery looks after about 42 children although it has capacity for up to 57.

Rated good by Ofsted, it says it takes on less children “to create a comfortable environment for the children who come to us”.

Ms Ndlovu said: “Since opening almost 15 years ago Springles has earned itself a fantastic reputation in the Sevenoaks area for providing first class nursery and pre-school services.

“In that time it has consistently scored a ‘good’ Ofsted rating and I intend to continue its work by developing the business as I look to take the nursery to the next level.”

“In that time it has consistently scored a ‘good’ Ofsted rating and I intend to continue its work by developing the business as I look to take the nursery to the next level...” - Thembi Ndlovu, Springles Nursery

The deal was secured after the nursery was marketed by Christie & Co, following two failed attempts to sell the business by previous owner Peter Coles.

Ms Ndlovu was advised by law firm Royds Withy King, which assisted her throughout the corporate and property negotiations.

Solicitor Ed Chapman said: “As this was Thembi’s first acquisition, we were able to use our expertise to provide guidance throughout the process, from advising on the main business purchase agreement and the property acquisition through to employment matters.”

He added: “The childcare market is particularly buoyant at the moment and we are seeing increasing interest from buyers and sellers in this fast-growing part of the economy. It is also encouraging to see banks are continuing to support SMEs with strong business proposals.”