WISBECH: Pre and after school rumpus over cuts threat that could hit 100 families

EXCLUSIVE

By Maggie Gibson

PRE-SCHOOL and after school facilities at the Isle Campus of the College of West Anglia in Wisbech are facing the axe.

Parents say closure at the end of this term could leave more than a hundred families without the much-needed provision.

Shocked parents were informed by letter on Tuesday that consultation had already started over the future of the toddler group, pre-school and after school club. It said the services were losing around �30,000 a year.

Parent Tracy Loughlin is urging users to get together and fight any attempts to axe the services.

She said: "It was a complete and utter shock. This will affect a lot of parents and the staff are gutted. Where on earth have the college got this �30,000 from?

"There is a waiting list for the pre-school, that is how popular it is. We need this service in Wisbech. We are losing so many provisions that we have to fight as a community to keep this."

Mrs Loughlin said two nearby primary schools, Elm Road and Peckover do not have any nursery provision attached to them.

She is urging parents to make their views known and has already given out leaflets to gather support together.

A decision will be made early next month when college governors meet to consider the feedback from staff consultation..

The college is arguing that the services were originally intended to cater for the children of students and staff but are now used mainly by families in the community.

Paul O'Shea head of marketing and student services for the college said: "The rationale behind it is that it is not cost effective and has not been so for a number of years.

"It was set up to be used by students and staff and it is used by very few of them - it is little used for the purpose it was originally intended. At the moment the college finances are subsidising a service used mainly by the community.