Bristol Steiner School closure felt like 'somebody died' mum says

Alison said her daughter Lily-Rai, eight, started at the school in May after struggling at traditional schools

A mum said news of a school's closure "felt like somebody had died".

Bristol Steiner School and Kindergarten will shut its doors at the end of the academic year in July 2024.

Alison said her eight-year-old daughter, Lily-Rai, started at the school in May after struggling at traditional schools.

The school said the closure resulted from the combined impact of the Covid pandemic, the cost of living crisis and lower student numbers.

"It was horrible, we watched our happy daughter suddenly not being able to function," Allison said.

"When she changed school [to the Bristol Steiner School], there was an instant transformation back to that happy kid.

"Now, Lily-Rai is confidently talking about times tables and writing stories in her spare time, not to mention having just finished knitting her first scarf."

Bristol Steiner School is set to close its doors next year

Chair of the school's Parents, Teachers and Friends Association, Lindsay Frenchford, said parents and the school will get together on Thursday to discuss possible ways to save it.

"The reactions to our closure announcement are a signal for how happy our children are at the school," she said.

"For a lot of parents it seems impossible to imagine the school closing.

"Parents are working hard on ideas to come up with a plan to keep the school running."

"There's no other alternative school in Bristol," Alison added. "Some kids really need a more gentle approach in school.

"I am trying to stay hopeful for a solution."

Following the announcement, a Bristol Steiner School and Kindergarten spokesperson said: "Over many years the school has been supported by the generosity of friends, charities and the global Steiner Waldorf movement enabling the school to provide high quality education.

"Sadly, the recent decline in current student numbers has made the financial situation untenable."