PARENTS and councillors in the village of Stogumber were shocked to learn that their pre-school is to close.

Railway Children Pre-School, which has 12 children and caters for two to five-year-olds, is funded by Somerset County Council, and is set to close at Christmas.

But local councillors and the county councillor for the area, Christine Lawrence, are hoping a solution can be found.

A statement from Crowcombe and Stogumber Primary School, whose governors and head teacher, Daniel Perry, run the pre-school, said: "It is with regret and sadness that the decision to close Railway Children Pre-School has been confirmed and will take effect from December 31, 2020.

"The pre-school ... is no longer financially viable as a result of falling numbers. It has been a very difficult decision, and one that has been considered over a period of time, but the school Board of Governors has now met and approved the closure.

"Parents and carers of current and prospective children have been informed to allow them as much time as possible to find an alternative setting," the statement said.

“We are aware of the concerns and the head teacher, governors and a member of the Early Years team have met parents and carers to answer their questions and offer support. If parents have questions or concerns, please do contact us – our door is open."

Chris Bramall, chair of Stogumber Parish Council, said the news "was dropped as a bombshell by the school governors last week”. He told the Free Press that parents had been contacting the parish council and "everyone was quite upset”.

“We had no idea there was insufficient funding for it," he said.

Everyone had been very supportive of the pre-school, which had not existed before the school started it, he said, and it was "very much the school’s baby”.