Shutdown plan in place for Fernhill

Catholic school will close at end of academic year

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A “renowned” Catholic school at the centre of a charity watchdog probe into missing accounts is to close at the end of the academic year.

Fernhill School, in Rutherglen, which charges parents up to £20,000 a year, is being investigated by the The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) over concerns relating to the “financial situation and governance of the charity.”

The watchdog said the failure to declare accounts could amount to “misconduct” in administration in a report last week. Just days later the independent school, which has been registered as a charity since 1975, issued a statement confirming it would close.

It reassured parents that the quality of education and care its 250 pupils receive will “remain unchanged” until it closes. The OSCR report states that Fernhill has not submitted accounts to the regulator since 2021 and said “unaudited dormant company accounts” had been submitted to Companies House “without explanation” for the last two years.

It said: “The charity has not responded to previous correspondence from OSCR seeking an explanation of the financial position of the charity. It appears to OSCR that the charity trustees are in breach of their duties...to act in the interests of the charity and, as a result, there has been misconduct in the administration of the charity.