Queens Road Pre-School to shut after 50 years

QUEENS Road Methodist Church Pre-School in Keynsham is to close this month after 50 years.

The managing trustees of the church said the decision has been taken due to falling numbers and changes in the childcare needs of parents.

In a statement, they said of the pre-school: “When it first opened its doors, it was staffed by volunteers from the church, and since those early days many hundreds of children, some of whom who have become parents or even grandparents of current children, took their first steps towards preparing themselves for primary education.

“Such was the reputation of the pre-school in helping children in terms of learning and social skills that it always had long waiting lists from those living in Keynsham and the surrounding areas.

“But sometimes good things must sometimes come to an end and that is what has happened with Queens Road Methodist Pre-School.”

The pre-school’s final sessions will be delivered on Tuesday July 22. Until now, it has been offering morning, afternoon and all-day sessions between 9am and 3pm Monday to Friday.

It has had about 50 children aged from three to five on its roll recently, but the parents of more than half of them had already indicated they would be withdrawing them at the end of term.

The trustees said staff who had been working there for many years had been closely involved in the decision-making process, and letters had been sent to all parents about what was happening and why.

Reflection on the background to the closure, the trustees said that when the pre-school opened, there were few such facilities in the area and maintaining maximum numbers was not an issue. But this had changed dramatically in recent years.

“Our local primary schools – Chandag, Castle, St Kenya and soon to be joined by St Johns – all now have nursery classes, and parents are more likely to send their child to a pre-school that is part of the primary school that their child will be attending.

“In addition there are many more private pre-schools operating, many of them part of a conglomerate. All of these reflect the demand for a wider range of care, from before school and through to the early evening, that many working parents are now seeking. Our premises and facilities are simply not designed to accommodate this kind of support.

“As a result, we have fewer children on our roll with fewer registering, some of whom are only attending for three hours a week. This has brought about a dramatic drop in our level of funding.

“Despite the efforts of our wonderful staff, some of whom have been with us for over 25 years, plus the best efforts of our church members and the pre-school committee and supportive parents, the pre-school is running at a considerable financial loss, at a level which is impossible to sustain.”

The statement said that, over the years, the church had committed much time, resource and money to ensure that “this valuable asset to the community” was able to continue.

It said it did so in the same way that, for over 30 years, it supported open youth work at the Key Centre, part of the Methodist church’s premises in the High Street, which had to close in 2002 when the local authority reduced its annual grant aid.

Six staff will be affected by the closure of the pre-school. It is not yet known what will happen to the premises, but the church envisages that they will be used for “new ventures of mission and support for the community.”

Its current Ofsted rating, following an inspection in 2023, is “good” in all areas, covering overall effectiveness, behaviours and attitude, personal development, and leadership and management.

The Rev John Carne, former minister of the church, said: “As a church we have always been proud of the support that for many years we have given to the children and young people in our community.

“It is therefore with a heavy heart that we have had to make this decision in relation to Queens Road Pre-School.”

Parents have expressed their sadness at the news on Facebook, with comments such as:

“Without doubt, the best pre school ever with the kindest, most caring team. We’ll always treasure the time our son spent at Queens Road.”

“So sad forever grateful to all the staff at the pre school that always went out of their way for my son. He loved every minute.”

“That is really really sad news. My children loved going to you and had many happy years there. I went there as well over 40 years ago! This is a real shame.”

“So sorry to hear this, you were the best preschool for our children!”

“Very sad, I attended around 1970 and my children in the 90’s, even my grandson for a while. So 3 generations of us. Great memories.”