Private school is proposing to shut

A TOP independent school in Wales has announced it proposes to shut, blaming “economic volatility” and “factors beyond our control”.

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The announcement from St Clare's School in Porthcawl left staff, pupils and parents in “shock and tears”, said one parent. It comes just months after the controversial imposition of VAT payments on private school fees, as well as increases in employers’ national insurance contributions. St Clare’s, a day school which has been running for more than 85 years, posts impressive exam results each summer.

In a letter to parents, school management also blames the falling local birthrate. They said projected pupil numbers for next academic year make the school “unsustainable”.

Responding to the news, the Welsh Independent Schools Council warned as many as 19 other private schools in Wales face closure.

Parents said they received a letter out of the blue from St Clare’s at 6pm on May 6, just two hours after the head and staff were told of the plans to shut. Meetings are being held today at the school, which says on its website that it charges fees of between £2,000 and £6,000 a term for children aged from nursery to sixth form.

The non-selective school, which is understood to have around 150 pupils, is run by the education company Cognita UK, which operates a number of schools across the UK.

The Welsh Independent Schools Council has warned since last year that closures could follow if VAT was imposed.

In her letter announcing the news from St Clare’s to parents, Nicola Lambros, general manager of Cognita UK, said the school would do everything it could to help them find alternative places at a local school for their children, should the decision be taken to close.

St Clare’s has entered into negotiations with staff affected.