Industry News
Private school to shut after rent increased
Posted on 27th March 2008
A leading private school in Newcastle will close after the summer because it cannot pay the rent.
La Sagesse in Jesmond would have celebrated its 100th anniversary at the site in 2012.
It says its founders, a Catholic order of nuns called the Sisters of La Sagresse, have trebled the rent and so the school will have to close.
The Journal said the school's rolls, currently at around 200 pupils, have also suffered since the nearby Royal Grammar School began accepting girls in 2002.
More than 54 members of staff, including teachers, are looking for new jobs.
Chairperson of the board of governors, Professor Kathleen McCourt, said: "The school has a record of high academic achievement and outstanding pastoral care which we are confident makes our staff highly employable."
She added that staff were working with parents to find other suitable school paces for their children.