SFS News

Costs force closure of no-frills private school

Posted on 11th January 2007

The company that promised to introduce “no-frills” private education to England has announced that one of its best schools will close this summer.

Parents and teachers at Kingswood College, near Ormskirk, Lancashire, were informed of the decision by Global Education Management Systems (Gems) yesterday.

The company blamed the closure on the high costs of maintaining the school’s premises, Scarisbrick Hall, a Grade I listed building that dates back to the 19th century.

“The property and land surrounding Scarisbrick Hall are being sold to a new owner,” it said in a statement.

Meetings were being held last night in an attempt to put together a rescue package to keep the school open and move to new premises.

Erica Squire, a teacher at the school, said that parents and teachers were devastated and angry. She said that staff had written repeatedly to the company over the past two years asking for information about the school’s future because they were concerned about the lack of investment in the building.

Kingswood College was the largest special needs provider in the area, she added. “There is a large number of pupils who will have no provision if the school closes,” she said. “A lot of parents have offered financial support in the hope that we can become self-funding. A school like this, with 327 pupils, should be financially viable.”

John Bridger, of Gems, said that the company had considered every option, including relocation. “We have no plans to close any of our other schools in the UK,” he said.

Gems has negotiated with the new owner of Scarisbrick Hall to offer students in Years 5 and 10 the opportunity to continue their education at the premises until the summer of 2008.

The company owns 60 schools worldwide and 13 in Britain and is pursuing a rapid expansion programme in India.

Two years ago, parents at another Gems school, Bury Lawn in Milton Keynes, passed a no-confidence vote in the company after the departure of four head teachers within a year. They complained of an “atmosphere of fear”.

One way of a school reducing costs is to always ensure they put out for competetive tender, especially on costs such as Property & Liability Insurance.