An £18,000 per year Catholic day school in Hampshire has blamed the decline in the number of pupils for the decision to close at the end of the current term., which caters for girls and boys from nursery to sixth form, said that due to a “continued decline in pupil numbers … the school has now become unviable”.
The statement said: “This proposal is based on a continued decline in pupil numbers, to the extent that the school has now become unviable. This is due to a combination of adverse political and economic factors. The ISC census, based on a survey of 1,411 UK independent schools conducted in January, said the average fee for a day school – which the majority of ISC pupils attend – is now £6,021 per term or £18,064 per annum.
In a foreword to the report, ISC chairman Barnaby Lenon said Labour’s plan to charge 20% VAT on private fees is “looming large in parents’ minds” and private schools are concerned about pupil recruitment and retention.