Private school owing parish £70k in rent evicted

The private school, founded in 1964, moved to the St Clement-owned building in 2006

The Parish of St Clement has evicted St Christopher's Preparatory School after it failed to pay more than £70,000 in rent.

The petty debts court served the school several orders, including an eviction order and an order to pay the parish about £74,000 of rent arrears, as well as legal costs.

At its most recent inspection in 2023, the school had 68 pupils registered from the ages of three to 11.

The government told the BBC in July St Christopher's staff had said all current pupils had found alternative places to study. The BBC has approached St Christopher's for comment.

The government said staff told the Education Department they were supporting affected families with the transition to new schools.

The private preparatory school was founded in 1964 and spent 35 years in a property on Stopford Road in St Helier before moving to the St Clement-owned building in 2006.

St Clement parish constable Marcus Troy says taking the school to court has put "everybody out of their misery"

St Clement parish constable Marcus Troy said it was an "emotional decision" to take the school to court but after a year of unpaid rent and the school's directors ignoring requests to leave it was one the parish had to make.

He said: "We've seen people who haven't been paid. And numbers have been dropping - it was time to take the bull by the horns and sort it out and, thankfully, we've done that and put everybody out of their misery."

He added the parish needed to put the building on the market or rent it out again for the benefit of ratepayers.