Protesting parents have forced education bosses to perform a u-turn over closing a school nursery.
The provision at East Ruston School and Nursery has been saved after parents protested the Broad Horizons Education Trust's decision to close the facility.
The trust blamed the planned closure on low numbers and a lack of funding, saying it cannot afford to run the nursery for children aged two to four.
As a result of the protest and a parent campaign to keep the nursery open, the number of potential youngsters wanting to join there from September has soared - prompting the trust to change its mind.
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The school on School Road (Image: Submitted)Since campaigning for the nursery to remain open, the potential uptake of children has more than doubled from six to 14 from September.
Despite the parents' victory, the trust has said it may still have to close the nursery later in the academic year and will monitor the situation.
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The trust's plans to close the school sparked outrage among parents (Image: Submitted)
A spokesman for the trust said: "Broad Horizons Education Trust has confirmed that East Ruston Infant School’s nursery will remain open from September 2025, following a full and open consultation prompted by very low pupil numbers.
"At the time of consultation, only six children were due to attend the nursery in the autumn, making it financially unviable under current funding arrangements.
"Like many small schools and nurseries, East Ruston faces the challenge that funding is based almost entirely on pupil numbers, making it increasingly difficult to sustain small, rural settings.
"Despite this, a strong and constructive response from parents and the wider community led to a significant increase in projected uptake.
"As a result, the trust has agreed to keep the nursery open from September."
The trust added that it would closely monitor attendance in the autumn to ensure the nursery is viable.
North Norfolk MP Steffan Aquarone had joined the parents in their protest.
He said: "I am thrilled that the families who have fought so hard to keep East Ruston nursery open can continue to send their children to this unique rural school.
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MP Steffan Aquarone joined the parents in protest (Image: Submitted)
"It stands to show how much we can achieve when we come together to fight for what we believe in, and I am pleased that the consultation echoed what parents have said: East Ruston nursery is an asset and we must protect it.
"I commend the trust for listening to the concerns of parents and acting in the best interests of the children and the community."