Bath Studio School set to close due to 'lack of demand'

Studio schools combine academic studies with work-based training for students aged 14-19

A studio school is set to close after the trust which runs it said it had "never been able to recruit enough students to make it viable".

Wellsway Multi Academy Trust proposed shutting Bath Studio School by 2020 after making a request to the Department for Education (DfE).

Andrea Arlidge, from the trust, said the decision was "made with a heavy heart and considerable sadness".

The DfE said it would work with the trust to "minimise disruption".

Bath Studio School opened in September 2014 and specialised in subjects related to the creative and media industries.

'Not enough demand'

The trust said it offered 300 places for students aged 14-19 but had "never recruited more than 140 in any one of its five academic years of existence". It currently has 126 students.

Ms Arlidge said: "Ultimately, there is simply not enough demand in the Bath area for the type of education that the Bath Studio School provides.

"As a consequence, the school is not meeting its costs, has had to be heavily subsidised by the Wellsway Multi Academy Trust and is not financially viable."

She said if the DfE gave the school formal approval, it would close from the end of the school year 2019/2020.

No further students

This would allow all current students to complete courses and qualifications they had enrolled on.

It means no further students would be admitted to the school from September 2019.

Bath MP Wera Hobhouse said it was a "massive let-down for many children and parents".

The trust said there would be a "five-week listening period" for people to put forward their views.