Parents have criticised a primary school over the closure of its after-school club.

The Featherstone Wood Primary School, on Featherstone Road in Stevenage, will run its final after-school club on July 21.

Some parents have criticised the decision – claiming it will be difficult for them to find care for their children while they are still at work.

One mother, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “This is a serious inconvenience for me. I relied on the after-school club to lend a helping hand while I was at work and, while I appreciate all their help in the past, I think they will be letting a lot of parents down.”

Another parent, who also asked not to be named, said: “I don’t get home from work until at least 5pm and have always been grateful for this service. Once it’s gone I will have to find someone, and no doubt pay them, to look after my child. It would have been a real help to see this stay open.”

Michelle Gardner, chair of governors at the school, said: “Reluctantly we have had to make the decision to close our after-school club. At present, there are too few children attending the club on a regular basis to make it financially sustainable and this means that the school is having to heavily subsidise the club using money that could be used elsewhere for the benefit of all pupils.

“While we empathise with the parents who will be affected by this decision, in the circumstances we felt that we had no other option.”

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