A rural pre-school may be forced to close because of a lack of numbers.

Nether Alderley Pre-school, on Bradford Lane, needs more children to sign up to start this September because only five of 15 places have so far been filled.

The nursery relies on funding from Cheshire East Council as well as fund-raising by parents and staff.

The council covers the first 15 hours a week per child and the funding from just five youngsters will not be enough for it to survive.

Manager Penny van Gelder says the school needs at least 15 children to give the paid hours the school needs to keep going.

Penny, whose sons Fergus, 18, and Max, 11, attended the pre-school when they were younger, said: “I saw what a special and happy place the school is when my sons were here.

“It’s a lovely environment, off the main road with a garden and lots of space. It’s like a little community. We normally have a waiting list but now we need to attract new families. It may not be sustainable.”

As well as taking in youngsters from Nether Alderley village, it has traditionally also taught children of parents who work at AstraZeneca’s nearby premises at Alderley Park.

But many families are leaving the area after the pharmaceutical firm announced earlier this year that it was closing its research and development facility at the site and that around 1,600 jobs will move by 2016, with the majority going to Cambridge. Staff say the news that AstraZeneca will  has had an impact. Mum-of-two Nicola Bradley, 32, of Chelford Road, has a daughter Mia, four, who attends the pre-school and another Esme, two, who is due to start in September.

She said: “I’m very concerned that there will not be enough children for the school to stay open.

“Mia was at another pre-school but never settled. Nether Alderley has been amazing. It’s only small and perhaps people don’t know it’s there, but the teachers treat the children like their own. It’s a beautiful place.”

The school takes children from two and a half years old and charges £10.50 per three-hour session before the children are three, when council funding starts.

The committee which runs the school will meet this week to discuss what to do next.

Call the school on 01625 383062.