A parent has claimed they have been “left in the lurch” after a nursery warned it may close its doors for good at the end of the school year. 

Old Buckenham Primary School Nursery, near Attleborough, said it was consulting with its trustees about the potential closure. 

In August 2018, the village’s primary school, which opened in 1963, took over the running of Buckenham Pre-School Group to become a joint primary and nursery school. 

But now its future is in jeopardy. 

Eastern Daily Press: Pupils at Old Buckenham given a talk from a visitorPupils at Old Buckenham given a talk from a visitor (Image: Newsquest)

The school is part of a partnership under the Sapientia Education Trust (SET) umbrella and a spokesperson for SET confirmed the possibility of the nursery’s closure. 

They said: "We are currently engaged in the listening exercise with regard to the future of the nursery provision at Old Buckenham Primary School.   

“At the moment, the nursery is running at a significant loss and we are seeking views from the wider community about the viability of the nursery moving forward. 

“In recent years parental demand for the nursery appears to have reduced reflecting demographic changes. 

The situation is due to be reviewed after Monday, June 19. 

Parents whose children had already been placed on a waiting list for September 2023 enrolment have been contacted and are being encouraged to find an “alternative provision”. 

One parent, who did not want to be named, said: “We've been left in the lurch. 

“With only a few months left to find a new placement, [we] are now being forced to fight for rare spots miles from our homes. 

“Despite the government's pledge to get parents back to work with additional nursery funding, more and more schools are being forced to close. 

“Government funding is so far below schools' rates that in many cases, they're now below the actual operating costs.  

"This is having a devastating effect on local communities.”