A plea has been made for Government funding to help a struggling school run by Dame Vera Lynn's charity.

The School for Parents at Ingfield Manor in Billingshurst, West Sussex, teaches under fives with cerebral palsy alongside their parents, so they can learn together at home.

The school is run by the Dame Vera Lynn Trust for Children With Cerebral Palsy and needs to raise £250,000 a year to stay open.

Tory ex-minister Baroness Trumpington, who met the 86-year-old wartime singer at the weekend, asked a question in the House of Lords on Monday about why the Government could not do more to help.

She said: "Why doesn't the Government give any money at all to educate these children who have cerebral palsy? "

The school is part of Ingfield Manor independent special school, which is run by Scope.

Scope withdrew funding for the School for Parents at the end of 2000 and, like 40 similar schools nationwide, it receives no Government help to stay afloat.

Headteacher Chris Jay said: "Nursery education is subsidised by the Government but we cannot register the School for Parents as a nursery school, however hard we try.

"The reason we don't fit into the system is that we've got young children with disabilities attending the sessions with their parents alongside them.

"Raising all the money to keep the school going so far has been an enormous achievement by all the trust members."

Dame Vera founded the pre-school and gave it to Scope ten years ago. The Dame Vera Lynn Trust for Children with Cerebral Palsy was set up after funding was withdrawn.

Baroness Andrews, for the Government, has agreed to look into Lady Trumpington's question.