Tavistock & Summerhill School shut down during half term!

[nightsky010]

I read in the paper that T&S school (West Sussex) sent a letter to parents on Monday stating that it has closed down, leaving them 4 days to find a new school before the second half of term!! Apparently it first ran in to financial problems in 2011 and has had falling pupil numbers. It's just gone in to voluntary receivership with debts of £860k.

The LA have said they will process school applications within 10 days.

Any parents on here? Got any further info? What schools do you plan to apply for?

Im not but my friend is. She is looking for a local state school but the ones she wants are full. I think the worst thing is that the school were still taking new pupils in a week or so ago and surely they must have known.

What are the various State options like in the area? What proportion of people do you imagine will be looking for state vs private?

I can't see how the school wouldn't have known? It seems like disgusting behaviour on the part of the school, if they did know, to take in new pupils a week ago and to close down in half term rather than at the end of last academic year'

Good luck to your friend.

I dont know -I didn't ask her and Im not familiar with the local schools there

Fair enough :-)

The other local school have been really good with this - as parents we've received lists of all local private schools and the years they have spaces for. I know some parents are home schooling till Christmas - the rest seem to have found somewhere. The school role was only 62 so it's not that many. A lot of parents were already looking around anyway after the governers did a schools closing / schools not closing dance over the summer

Amazing you got sent a list of schools by another local school!

Home schooling until Christmas, gosh, poor them.

Any idea which schools other parents tend to be going to (I don't know the area very well but have a friend with a DC at a school near there)?

Burgess Hill Girls seems to have got a lot of the girls. The boys spread around most other private schools in the area

Ah, that's interesting to hear. Thanks.