More than 80 parents in Sandbach were left struggling to find childcare over the May half term after a school holiday club was axed.
B2Coaching owner Michael Chambers said he was “shocked” after being told by Elworth Primary School that it was ending his contract to run the club early, which he claimed has left him “thousands” out of pocket.
But in an email sent to parents on Monday, the school said it had given B2Coaching the chance to continue running the club throughout May.
Mr Chambers explained that a noise complaint had been made to the school four months ago after music had been played throughout the day at one of the club sessions.
He said: “We believe music can relax the children and create a positive atmosphere. We received a complaint, and so we turned it down.
“We spoke to the headteacher, and he said he was happy with the volume, but a couple of months after that we were told there had been another complaint from a neighbour and that they were going to have to close the contract down.”
Mr Chambers said he had sought advice from Cheshire Police, which told him he was legally entitled to play music between 8am and 9pm.
He explained that the club, which usually cared for between 80 and 100 children every day during school holidays, was popular because of his team’s “relaxed and hands-on” approach.
He said: “At other clubs, they can be very sport-structured, but we offer different options like dodgeball, football, baseball, and if a child gets bored, they can go and do some arts and crafts or play with their friends.
“We understand that not every child likes sports, and so now we also do things like musical theatre, emergency first aid training – a bit of everything.”
Unlike some other holiday clubs, he said B2Coaching was happy to offer places to children with severe special educational needs and disabilities (Send).
“We’ve never turned a child down,” he said.
“We just bring in extra coaches to support what that child needs. That’s why we’re so popular.”
Mr Chambers said he had been “bombarded” with phone calls and emails after giving parents with just 10 days’ notice before the May half term that the club would not be going ahead.
He felt there could be another reason that the school had chosen to end his contract early.
He said: “They did ask us for more money about six weeks ago, and we said it was no problem, we could look at doing that when our contract ended in September, but they couldn’t change the contract agreement.
“We didn’t get a reply from them after that. The next email we had, 10 weeks later, said the contract had been closed.
“I couldn’t believe it. I think there’s something else going on. Our contract was due to end after the summer and we were even in talks about extending it for the next two to three years, so the news was an absolute shock.”
After speaking with parents, Mr Chambers said some had highlighted that the renovation of Sandbach School was due to start in the summer holidays, leaving other holiday club businesses without a venue.
He said: “My concern is that they have pushed us out for a new company that can come in and offer them more money. That’s what happens in business, the big companies ‘eat’ the little ones.”
An email from the school to Mr Chambers, which has been seen by the “Chronicle”, said: “Please be assured that this decision was not taken lightly, nor is it a reflection of your organisation.
“No holiday club providers will be using the school moving forward.
“We appreciate that this news may be disappointing and we wanted to give you as much notice as possible ahead of the summer break.
“Your letting agreement will therefore end on Friday, 29th May.”
Mr Chambers said he hoped to be able to offer an alternative venue to host the club over the summer holidays and was in talks with St John’s Primary School.
A spokesperson for Elworth Primary School said: “Many challenges have been created by the holiday clubs – including concerns about our legal liability, issues for our staff, a significant impact on the wear and tear of our facilities and a consideration with the relationship with our neighbours.
“We took the difficult decision on 1st May to tell B2Coaching that it won’t be able to use the school after the end of the summer term.
“We were, of course, mindful of parents planning to use the club in the upcoming half term holiday and B2Coaching has always been free to go ahead with this if it wished.”
The school suggested two alternative holiday clubs to parents: Allstars at Elworth Hall and Sports Coaching Group at Sandbach School.
