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Original poster

Redcliffe Garden School shut down

72 replies

Toots12345 · 21/03/2023 01:05

Redcliffe Gardens has just stated it will close this year. Just found out as my DS at Cameron Vale and parents started turning up today from Redcliffe wanting a place there.

It seems parents have been pushed to the Hampshire school (which is further away and owned by some giant private equity firm and also failing!) as they are paying a fee for every pupil they receive.

Crazy how naive Goldphin and Latymer are (owners of Redcliffe) to think that parents won't see through that. Pretty shady the whole tie up and close down. Presumably they sell off their pupils and then make a few million selling off the property!

Anyone else have any other info here?

OP posts:
lolilola · 21/03/2023 04:57

Can't believe this.. It was a serious contender for DD

Bluegingerbread · 21/03/2023 11:04

I'm stunned G&L would have got themselves involved in this. Awful for the Redcliffe parents, now all scrabbling for a September place.

Lily7050 · 21/03/2023 18:22

There is nothing on Redcliffe website about closing.

Lily7050 · 21/03/2023 18:29

Fulham Prep seems to have places any time. I would not worry about about not getting place at Cameron Vale or Hampshire.

jeanne16 · 21/03/2023 18:31

They will not easily be able to just sell off the building for large amounts of money. There is such a thing as the law of established use which will probably dictate that the building must still be used as a school.

This happened a few years ago with Putney Park School. The owners wanted to sell the buildings to a developer but were unable to do so and it is now The Falcon School.

HawaiiWake · 21/03/2023 18:32

Shocking way to treat parents and pupils. If this is true and only given notice at end of Easter term instead of beginning of Autumn and deadlines for 7+,8+ 10+ gone. It is not a great reflection on GL Trust.

lolilola · 21/03/2023 18:33

HawaiiWake · 21/03/2023 18:32

Shocking way to treat parents and pupils. If this is true and only given notice at end of Easter term instead of beginning of Autumn and deadlines for 7+,8+ 10+ gone. It is not a great reflection on GL Trust.

Agree 💯

Confusedmimfromberlin · 21/03/2023 19:24

My son is in Redcliffe Gardens school. It came as a complete sock for the school community. Parents, students and teachers are absolutely devastated.

we were very happy with the school, level of teaching, the atmosphere. The kids were happy and were getting offers from excellent secondary schools.

Not a single parent was satisfied with the „reasoning from the board“. It very much looks like a planned action.

they complain about the numbers, but there were 14 kids coming to nursery next term. Parents were able to provide lots of valid points and solution plans to the board members during the meeting, coming from financial sector, but the „decision has been made“. Without consideration or any sort of involvement of the parents or their resources and backgrounds. Lots of tears today at school

Dodgeitornot · 21/03/2023 20:00

@Confusedmimfromberlin I'm so sorry 💐

prawncocktailnahnah · 21/03/2023 20:05

I'm sorry to hear this. My DC school announced in January it was closing at Easter. Lots of stress and tears, but we moved them at half term and they're happier now.

HawaiiWake · 21/03/2023 20:43

@Confusedmimfromberlin , so sorry to hear the way you been treated and your DC.

kangadog · 21/03/2023 20:51

I am really shocked too. It is not good on G&L - with their name to the school they had the potential to really boost it. It could even have been made a feeder/junior department for the girls' senior school. It would have been incredibly popular - potentially rivalling the likes of Bute and Latymer prep.
Having watched the school as a local parent, they barely did anything except advertise on the back of buses! The school itself remained too small and lacking any real draw compared to competitors due to lack of proper drive. Such a shame.

Marchsnowstorms · 21/03/2023 22:38

How big was it?

Marchsnowstorms · 21/03/2023 22:43

Actually I just looked at inspection report: 75 pupils in 2022 which is tiny. 45 had English as second language: has it been impacted by Covid / Brexit etc?

user1477391263 · 21/03/2023 23:59

I wonder if there are options for starting earlier and closing schools more gradually, in the case of schools that are in financial trouble. I.e. make the announcement earlier, stop taking on new pupils, and close the school grade by grade, so that pupils can just age out of the school rather than having disruption. Of course, this means being open about the fact that there are problems at an earlier stage.

Marchsnowstorms · 22/03/2023 07:30

The problem there is the income would drop more than running costs, so debts would rise.

Dodgeitornot · 22/03/2023 08:09

@user1477391263 I can't imagine how running a school for 10 would be more feasible than 75. Those 10 parents expect a rich and varied curriculum for their kids, they're paying over 20k a year to get it. Small numbers are only sustainable at expensive special schools and that's an uncomfortable fact people will need to get used to. Even big name preps like Bute or Falkner House will be tightening their boots for the falling birth rates in London.

Original poster
Toots12345 · 22/03/2023 08:52

The Hampshire school according to inspection reports has gone from 290 pupils 3 years ago to only around 90 now. Looks like they had to do a deal with Godolphin and Latymer to stay alive. Very odd that parents were not given a choice of the other Prep schools in the area, like Cameron Vale and Parsons Green Prep. Not sure parents will want to be pushed to one school that is clearly failing and had 3 heads in 3 years. Also it is owned by GEMS a giant multibillion dollar private equity owned business - not sure about small family feel!

OP posts:
Original poster
Toots12345 · 22/03/2023 09:01

Lily7050 · 21/03/2023 18:29

Fulham Prep seems to have places any time. I would not worry about about not getting place at Cameron Vale or Hampshire.

Loads of schools are shutting down, and you can fairly easily get a change of use to convert to residential. The Falcons school is also now closing and I suspect the council will allow it to have use changed. Falcons is owned by a real estate company and they will be selling that land off to cover losses they have from the closure/losses.

OP posts:
Original poster
Toots12345 · 22/03/2023 09:03

jeanne16 · 21/03/2023 18:31

They will not easily be able to just sell off the building for large amounts of money. There is such a thing as the law of established use which will probably dictate that the building must still be used as a school.

This happened a few years ago with Putney Park School. The owners wanted to sell the buildings to a developer but were unable to do so and it is now The Falcon School.

Sorry meant to quote you on the above

OP posts:
Digletpiglet · 22/03/2023 09:10

The Falcons school will be temporarily housing the new Radnor House Prep from September (at least 12 months)

Original poster
Toots12345 · 22/03/2023 09:14

Ahh yes I heard that Dukes education (owned by USS a multibillion pound US pension fund) who owns Radnor House had bought a giant site Kneller Hall to turn it into an all through school and despite much advertising to parents planning was refused leaving them rather red faced with a lot of angry parents! Falcons closing must have been an off the shelf solution for them.

OP posts:
Dodgeitornot · 22/03/2023 09:26

@Toots12345 Dukes seems to be in the business of buying failing schools, they took over Heathside in N London too at the last minute.

makinghay11 · 22/03/2023 09:30

Dukes has bought 28 previously family owned private schools and about 40 nursery's in 3 years across London at above market prices, must be suffering a bit now.

Dodgeitornot · 22/03/2023 09:33

@makinghay11 wow!! That's really a lot of outlay. I can't help but think, if it was my pension that was being invested like this id feel a bit worried. It's a lot of eggs in one very unsteady basket.

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