Private school faces closure as pupil numbers fall

A SECOND private school in Wales has announced plans to shut.

- ABBIE WIGHTWICK

The news from Oakleigh House Primary in Swansea comes after St Clare's School in Porthcawl said it proposes to close at the end of December. Both schools are run by education company Cognita UK, which blamed financial pressures.

The news, which parents said came as a shock, follows warnings about the future of fee-paying schools after VAT was imposed on top of increased employer National Insurance contributions.

Cognita said in a statement: "This week we shared some difficult news with our families and staff about the proposal to close Oakleigh House School. We carried out a comprehensive review of the school’s sustainability in light of local demographic trends and a changing economic environment, which sadly concluded that pupil numbers are expected to continue to fall to an unsustainable level in the next academic year. We will do everything we can to support our families and staff and help our current pupils find alternative school places should the decision be taken to close."

It is understood the date for the proposed closure of Oakleigh House is also December this year.

The school, in the Uplands area of Swansea, has operated for more than 100 years. It is the only independent prep school in the city and takes children from two and a half to 11 years. Fees range from £3,736 a term for reception to £4,492 a term for children in Year 6.