'Lack of transparency' over school's closure

The school, founded in 1980, provides education for three to 16-year-olds

An independent school which has confirmed its imminent closure has been criticised by parents for "a lack of transparency" over the decision to shut.

In a letter to families, Wakefield Independent School said that following a period of consultation it would close "with profound regret" on 3 July, blaming VAT on school fees, falling pupil numbers and other "financial pressures".

Helen Purdy, whose 14-year-old son Leon is a pupil, said the news was a shock and parents should have been informed sooner.

In the letter, the school owner and chairman of the board of directors, Philip Hardy, said it had "explored all possible avenues to mitigate the impact" of the changes.

Mrs Purdy said: "You can't fault the teachers and staff but the way it's been managed has been terrible. We had no idea this was coming.

"There's been no communication really from the school since this happened and we feel like we've just been left by ourselves to figure out what to do next."

Mrs Purdy said Leon had thrived at the school but it was disappointing his time there had ended in such a way.

'Heartbreaking decision'

"There hasn't been a lot of transparency to be honest since this first came out in May," she added.

"They should have been more open with parents about what has been going on behind the scenes so we had a chance to decide what to do for the best."

Mrs Purdy said she had chosen to send Leon to Wakefield Independent School because of his health problems and it had been a "wonderful environment" for him.

She said because the fees were low in comparison to those of other nearby private schools which were more than twice as much, remaining in the independent sector was not an option for the family.

"There are a lot of pupils at the school with additional needs and there's just not that kind of support and provision in a lot of state schools."

Another parent, Suzy McCartney, said her 13-year-old son Aaron had flourished as a pupil there and the decision to close was "heartbreaking".

"I do feel for the school but I do think they should have been more upfront about the difficulties rather than just sending a letter out saying school was closing."

The school said the " difficult decision" had been made "after a comprehensive review of the school's financial situation", according to the letter.

As well as the VAT on fees and rises in NI contributions, it said "an increase in business rates along with minimum wage increases had made it unsustainable for Wakefield Independent to continue operating into a new academic year".

The school said since the introduction of VAT on fees, there had been a "sudden loss of pupils"

The school also said it had been served with a notice from its landlord, the Nostell Estate, to propose a new lease, which had contributed to difficulties.

The letter said it was providing support to staff members and was "working hard to support children and parents in choosing schools across all the local authorities we serve and to make the transition process as smooth as possible".

A spokesman for the Nostell Estate said they were saddened about the closure and sympathised "with parents and families who have been placed in a difficult position".

The spokesman said the estate had "actively supported the school for more than 30 years" and had been "trying to agree new leases with the school".

They added: "We put forward a number of suggestions to assist them and were disappointed that the school could not agree to our proposals.

"We reluctantly served the school with a non-hostile formal notice that set out a timeframe in which the estate and the school could agree a new lease.

"We wanted the school to stay. We were only three months into that 12-month period when the school announced its prospective closure."

The school is the latest in a number of others across Yorkshire to announce its closure.

Both Fulneck School in Pudsey and Queen Margaret School for Girls' in York have announced their closures because of financial difficulties.

Wakefield Independent School did not respond to a request for further comment.

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