PARENTS have been left in the lurch after a pre-school has announced it will be closing in a matter of weeks.

Thorpedene Pre-School, which rents a room at the Thorpedene Primary School in Delaware Road, Shoebury, held a meeting with parents and told them the committee-run school would be closing due to financial reasons.

Parents were told the pre-school would close within a fortnight, however a vote was cast and parents opted to keep it open until the end of April.

Mark Whitely, 36, who lives in Shoebury, who has a four-year-old son at the school, said: “I think it’s disgusting. The school held a meeting with parents about the financial trouble they were having.

“It was a really difficult experience.

“Because, as parents, we’re all part of the committee, they put it to a vote as to when the school would close and parents voted to keep it open for the rest of the year.

“They then called another meeting and told us that the school would be closing it within two weeks.

“Parents walked out of the meeting in frustration but those who stayed voted again to keep it open until April 28.

“We are upset at the misleading information. We were told in January that it would 100 per cent be staying open until summer and now they’ve gone back on their word.

“My son is due to start school in September and there is now no time to get him settled somewhere else.”

Fellow parent Maura Wright, 31, of Southend, added: “It’s not been handled very well at all. I asked numerous times if I should be looking for somewhere else and was told no it’s fine.

“It’s such short notice and there is limited availability so it’s left me in a bit of a panic as I work full time.”

A spokesman for the council said: “Thorpedene Pre-School is a committee run pre-school that has unfortunately taken the decision to close.

“We have supported as much as we can to maintain the pre-school in one way or another but yesterday at a meeting with parents it was decided to formally close on April 28.”