Ockbrook School: One of the UK's oldest boarding schools to close

The boarding school was founded more than 220 years ago

One of the UK's oldest boarding schools has announced it will close next month after running out of money.

Ockbrook School in Derbyshire, founded in 1799, said it remained "significantly loss-making", a situation made worse by the pandemic.

Trustees said they had been unable to find any financial backers for the school so it had become insolvent.

Staff and parents were informed of the decision on Monday and said the news had "come out of the blue".

In a letter to parents, Roberta Hoey, chairwoman of trustees, said a detailed strategic review was launched in March 2020 to find "the best way forward" and secure the future of the school.

"Following the consideration of a number of options, it has become clear that the school is significantly loss-making, a situation exacerbated by the Covid Pandemic, and we have not been able to find any backers willing to take on the scale of those losses," she said.

"As a result, the school has become insolvent and we therefore have no choice but to close Ockbrook School at the end of the 2021 Summer Term."

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The private independent school, which has 252 pupils, was first founded more than 220 years ago by the Moravian Church as a school for girls before it became fully co-educational in 2017.

Admission fees are currently £3,360 a term for primary school children, £4,435 for those in Years 7 to 9 and £4,565 for Years 10 to 13.

The school informed staff and parents of the closure on Monday

"This decision was not taken lightly but we have unfortunately exhausted all alternative options and keeping the school operating is simply not viable anymore," added Ms Hoey.

"This means that you will need to find alternative education for your child/children from September 2021 onwards."

The school, which has entered into a consultation process with 100 of its affected employees, will close its doors on 9 July.

'Terrible timing'

Staff and parents told BBC Radio Derby the announcement had "come out of the blue" and this was the first they had heard about the school's financial problems.

Parent Angela Sandland, from Boulton Moor, Derby, said it would be a stressful few weeks for people to find new places for their children.

"We are all in shock more than anything. We just didn't see this coming," she said.

"I think a lot of us would have liked to have been a bit more included in what was happening, whether there was anything we could have actively done to help, like fundraising or increasing fees."

She said the announcement was also "terrible timing" as her 15-year-old son in Year 10 is halfway through his GCSEs and sitting exams this week.

A Derbyshire County Council spokesman said the authority would do "all we can to ensure children can quickly access a new school place".

"This is sad news and parents who would like their children to attend Derbyshire schools should contact their local school if they wish to arrange a visit or the county council's admissions team to apply for a school place," the spokesman added.