Walberton pre-school's call for support

Mary Foulds and Helen Baxter called a meeting with parents and representatives of MP Nick Herbert in a bid to find a dedicated new base for the school, which presently runs from the village hall.

Despite receiving excellent Ofsted eports, the pair claim conditions are no longer suitable for the school, which is forced to share facilities with other community groups using the hall.

The ageing facility, which requires equipment to be packed up at the end of the day, has been deemed unsuitable for the demands of a teaching curriculum which follows stringent government Early Years Foundation stage standards.

Nearly 60 families presently use the pre-school, which is regarded as one of the strongest in the area and is over-subscribed.

Mary Foulds said: "Closing the school is actually our very last resort, we have been working for some years to try to find alternative accommodation.

"We really do not wish to close, but in order to make our business sustainable, and to fulfil Ofsted expectations, we need to have a dedicated building.

"We were very disappointed not to be granted monies in the capital grant funding, administered by West Sussex County Council which could have funded a new-build for us."

A number of alternative sites have been explored by the school's managers including basing itself at Walberton Primary '“ where many of its youngsters go on to study.

However, the site is unable to accommodate the pre-school.

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