Private school confirms permanent closure
GoogleAn independent school will shut at the end of the academic year.
Durham Education Ltd, which owns Durham High School, said it had tried to secure the "long-term future" of the school but it had not been possible and would go into administration at the end of the term.
In a letter to parents, director Yan Gao said the consortium was "deeply sorry" to have reached this point.
"Our immediate priority is, and will remain, the well-being and continued education of every pupil," he said.
He said the school had already worked with several local schools to help families secure places for September.
"We hope that receiving schools will, wherever possible, honour existing fee and bursary arrangements as pupils move into the next stage of their education," he said.
He added that students awaiting GCSE and A level results would be supported by staff.
"We are determined that every student will continue to receive the support they need."
One parent previously told the BBC amid uncertainty over the school's future: "My own daughter is currently halfway through A levels and, as you can imagine, is hugely distressed at the uncertainty about where she might be studying in September.
"We are now in the situation that school closes on Friday for the summer and neither staff nor students know if it will reopen in September."
Last year, the independent school announced a decision to move from single-sex to teaching boys, describing it as part of "exciting plans for its future".
The school, which received the Sunday Times Independent Secondary School of the Year (North East) award in December 2024, is owned and operated by Durham Education Limited, part of the Chinese-owned Galaxy Global Education Group, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
