'Shocked' pre-school to close as lease ends

A village pre-school in North Lincolnshire has announced it will shut at the end of the academic year with the loss of six jobs.

Goxhill Pre-school operates from a building at Goxhill Primary School, but is run independently. However, it said it had been told by the federation that runs the school that its lease at the site would be ended in July.

The early years provider said it was "shocked" by the news and, as it had been unable to find other suitable premises, it would be forced to close.

Hayley Twidale, executive headteacher at Humber Estuary Federation, said: "We understand how upsetting this situation is for families and staff, and we are sorry for the uncertainty it has caused."

Goxhill Pre-school currently looks after 23 children from 19 families in the area.

It was founded about 40 years ago, and has operated from the building which is managed by the Humber Estuary Federation on behalf of North Lincolnshire Council for 15 years.

In a post on Facebook, the provider confirmed that since receiving the notice it had tried to find a suitable site to relocate to, but no other buildings in the village "can meet [their] needs."

As a result, the pre-school will have to close and the six current staff members will lose their jobs, the spokesperson confirmed.

Naomi, whose son attends the pre-school, said she had started a petition to try to keep it open.

She described the thought of losing it as a "devastating blow to the local community."

"To lose this safe and familiar setting, and the subsequent instability this creates, is detrimental to my son's continued development," she added.

"The lack of appetite to save the pre-school, by those with the power to do so, is disheartening."

The BBC has also seen a number of comments on social media from other parents who have expressed their sadness at the decision to close.

A spokesperson for the pre-school added they had been "overwhelmed with all of the love and support" they had received.

School head Twidale added: "We will work closely with parents to help them find suitable alternative early years provision and ensure continuity of care."

In a social media post, the Humber Estuary Federation said it was exploring two-year-old nursery provision at the primary school's current nursery, which looks after children aged three and over.

Last year, the government announced plans to "create thousands of new places in school-based nurseries", and said that it would offer funding to primary schools to "create or expand on-site nurseries".

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