Parents and MP hit back at private school closure

An MP and parents have criticised the announcement of an independent school's closure.

Durham High School will go into administration at the end of the term, Durham Education Limited said, which is part of the Chinese-owned Galaxy Global Education Group (GGE).

Labour MP for the City of Durham, Mary Kelly Foy, described the closure as "utterly abhorrent", while parents have said they are "devastated" and their children have been left looking for new schools midway through their exams.

GGE rejected suggestions the decision had been taken lightly, saying the company had spent months exploring ways to keep the school open.

But the MP said the owners had shown "a complete lack of compassion and respect" by announcing the closure only one day before the end of the school year, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

She said the reasons given for the closure, including the school's status as a day school rather than a boarding school, and the introduction of VAT on private school fees, were "completely disingenuous".

The VAT policy had been known before the company acquired the school, she said, and promised investment had not been delivered.

Other schools owned by the company in Wales and Worcestershire have also announced their closure, with parents accusing it of "asset-stripping", which GGE has said is "entirely without foundation".

Parent Chris Tapp, who has two daughters at the school, said they were "absolutely devastated" and "shocked" by its closure - although both had just completed their final years there.

"They both acknowledge the teachers are always there for you, you can go and find them any time of day, whether it's about school stuff or anything else," he said.

He said he had paid up to £24,000 each year sending the two girls to the school, relying on support from school bursaries and scholarships, as well as family loans.

But he said he had been "really impressed" with the atmosphere of the school, whereas he had concerns about other schools having "discipline problems and bullying".

"All the kids were very polite and well behaved, there was no sort of rowdiness and messing around," he said.

Rebecca Rose, whose daughter is halfway through her A-levels, said the announcement had left families "brokenhearted".

She said moving schools midway through sixth form would be especially difficult because of differences in exam boards and course content, with another parent in the same circumstances saying their child was "hugely distressed".

GGE said the school had faced "significant and sustained financial challenges", including falling pupil numbers, rising employment costs and wider pressures on the independent school sector, including VAT on school fees.

"No single factor was responsible," GGE said, adding the combination of pressures meant the school was "no longer financially sustainable".

Decisions about the future of the Durham High School site would now be made by the joint administrators.

GGE added: "Our priority remains supporting pupils, families and staff through this difficult period.

"We are working closely with local schools to help pupils continue their education with the minimum possible disruption and are ensuring that examination-year students continue to receive support as they move on to the next stage of their education."

In a statement posted on its website, the school said: "For 142 proud years, Durham High School has stood solidly as a beacon of hope for girls who were once denied the education enjoyed by their male counterparts."

It said it was "deeply sorry" to its 281 current pupils and thanked parents and staff.

"I bind unto myself today - the stirring opening words of the school hymn, St Patrick's Breastplate - have a deep significance for us all on this darkest of days," it said.

"May you all have protection and strength for the difficult days ahead."

It concluded: "A final message to all of our pupils, past and present: these halls have rung with laughter for 142 years.

"Take your joyous selves into the world and share happiness with all who cross your paths."

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