FAMILIES fighting to save a closure-hit nursery at Scotland's national deaf school have taken their campaign to the Scottish Government.

Parents who currently use the pre-school centre at Donaldson's School, in Linlithgow, have written to Angela Constance, the Education Secretary, calling for her to intervene.

Because Donaldson's is publicly funded campaigners argue it has a duty to look at ways of ensuring the nursery facility is not lost to the community. Parents have also lodged a petition with the Scottish Parliament urging MSPs to step in.

The group acted after the school's board of governors refused to implement proposals to save the nursery, which takes hearing pupils as well as those with additional support needs.

Donaldson's decided to shut the nursery last month arguing it was no longer financially sustainable, but campaigners believe it could be run successfully as an independent community venture.

Fiona Pashley, who is part of the campaign, said: "Donaldson's is an outstanding nursery, but we don't believe it has ever had proper financial management.

"My eldest son started at the nursery over three years ago and we have never had regular bills from the school. Having new board members in charge has made no difference and it is no wonder the nursery runs at a loss.

"We put forward detailed plans to run the nursery as a community nursery on a financially sustainable basis and asked the board to keep it open until registration with the Care Inspectorate could be completed, but they have refused."

The decision to close the nursery at the end of the academic year means children who had been expecting to attend next year now have to find places elsewhere.

Since it opened, Donaldson's nursery has regularly received excellent ratings from the Care Inspectorate and the 2013 inspection report highlighted the "outstanding quality of children's experiences and outcomes in the nursery".

As well as having three dedicated spaces for children with additional support needs, it was also popular with parents whose children struggled in large or noisy environments, and who benefited from the purpose-built surroundings and highly qualified staff.

Jenny McDonagh, another nursery parent, said: "Working parents need nursery places which fit with the working day, but they also need to find childcare that meets the needs of their individual child.

"Donaldson's offered something for children who wouldn't always thrive in other settings. It's a huge loss, and the Scottish Government should step in to keep the nursery open, at least until an alternative arrangement can be found."

Last month, Laura Battles, principal of Donaldson's School, wrote to families warning the facility would shut in June.

Her letter stated: "The board of governors has concluded that the nursery operated at Donaldson's School for local children is financially unsustainable and, as such, has reluctantly taken the decision to close the facility at the end of this session in June.

"The review has uncovered that the nursery has run at a loss for a number of years and is not something the school can continue to offer."

The school said the 24 places subsidised by West Lothian Council under a partnership arrangement would be transferred to another council-backed nursery from August.

In a later letter to parents on the issue of keeping the nursery running the school said: "Although the financial risks were carefully considered by the board, they were unanimous that the need to concentrate on the core purpose of the trust was the paramount concern.Therefore it was not felt to be appropriate to enter into lease or other arrangements in the short to medium term."