Alderley Edge school for girls to close

[Mushroo]

This has just been announced - the whole school from nursery to sixth form will close at the end of this academic year.

Such a shame.

We are contemplating prep school but all these closures make me very very nervous. Does anyone feel the same way?

An excellent state primary and tutoring now feels like the sensible option.

I’d be most annoyed that parents have accepted places when they’ll have known this for ages ( the school board )

ManHigh have just opened a nursery - to boost income ?

Oh sorry, @blankcanvas3I meant that for you!

Terra Nova is a wonderful happy and nurturing school - part of the Shrewsbury group - so many opportunities there, do have a look.

Is Terra Nova still secure as a school? From reading their last companies house submission they also lost a number of pupils during 24-25 , more than they anticipated. Their fees are quite substantial compared to other schools. I understand now that they have merged with the Shrewsbury school - reason being to offer them some sort of stability and financial security in this market? Interested to know your thoughts if you have some experience of this school.

@blankcanvas3 hope you get some options today. I’d be so angry if I’d started at a school that basically sold me a place knowing they might close. Even last week I saw ads

Man High is opening their nursery to try to divert girls from Ladybarn to them. Ladybarn has always had a nursery offering. Who knows if it will work.

Sadly I agree with this, my DD has been in the private school sector since she started her education. We are starting to realise that it’s business first , children second. They are all massively advertising trying to get children in to secure their school in these uncertain times for the sector. Within two hours of the announcement of AESG Kings put a notice on their website for “AESG” parents, they have a mass assessment day tomorrow - nowhere to put the kids mind as they don’t have space! Terra Nova are now advertising again on their SM and other schools have evenings next week specifically for AESG parents.

Talk about trying to capitalise on another’s downfall!! But that’s what it is… business. And the cycle will continue when the next one fails.

Wilmslow Prep were also advertising yesterday on Facebook

All The Facebook ads have a very predatory feel! Like vultures circling. Shows how desperate the sector is!

I would say we liked Bowdon when we looked at it (and considering they are thinking of going co-ed they probably have some spaces…)

I would suggest parents look to Lady Barn for a steady and secure option. It has a 3 class intake and is a nurturing and well resourced school.

We are in the process of accepting DD’s Year 7 place offer and hope that her first choice is a secure one . Nothing is certain in the current climate but aside from looking into the schools’s finances how would one explore whether the school is at risk?

I’ll have a look, thank you!

I’m going on a tour of Bowdon later, she’s only pre prep so it’s not the absolute end of the world but just a stress I didnt think i’d have this week!

The thing is it was a very small school so not very financially viable probably only one year group throughput. It probably would have closed anyway but maybe earlier because of the VAT so VAT not wholly responsible. Most of the schools that have closed have been small not really viable schools. It’s not new I remember a girls school in Hertfordshire closing without warning over the Easter holidays leaving the staff without pay this would be the late 80’s early 80’s

Totally unhelpful, but even the likes of Eton aren’t doing as well as expected. They extended the deadline for applications for their 11+ exams (happening in a few weeks) by more than a month last summer. It can only be because they didn’t have enough applicants, and given that they get applications from all over the world it os
a stark sign of what’s happening. I was discussing this with my husband a few days ago, basically if you have the money they’ll take your child.

People don't want hear that. They want to blame the current Govt. Yes the fees may have exacerbated the situation but the better/more subscribed schools will remain. Do people believe that should the Govt change at the next election that the vat charge will be rescinded?

Of course it’s the current Labour gov. And yes probably, most have said as much already.

I don't think it's the current government, it may have brought the inevitable forward a little bit but it won't be the actual cause.

The school dd went to have already been in the news on about how VAT could cause issues for them. But what they didn't say is that the current management have been running the school down since 2021 since the previous principal retired and staff turnover went from the average staff member staying for 14 years to most not even making 18 months (it is such a toxic environment).

Another school we know of that closed last year a similar thing. New owners decided to run it into the ground, parents and staff were not happy and they had previously done it to a different school

I work at a private girls school in a different part of the country and we are currently going through a massive restructure and lots of redundancies due to falling numbers. Lots of staff worried about the long term viability, especially after this news.
*And it's not just because of VAT. It's falling birth rates, increase in cost of living in general, pension and NI costs.

no, that’s not true. Plenty of super selectives rejecting kids.

Not sure what you are saying. My post was about how Eton was or wasn’t successful in this day and age.

Sorry but this actually actually made me laugh. Alderly edge is not the squeezed middle! It's easily in the top five percent richest areas in the country.

Absolutely this is what happens.

We had exactly the same locally 3-5 years ago when 3 local independent schools closed.

1 had changed to co ed but that didn’t work and it closed 18 months later. It was over 100 years old.

1 was 100 years old and very religious based and in a city centre so accessible.

1 had a lot of international students including foreign royals etc.

But there isn’t the number of students, birth rate has dropped, prices were too high for the people who could afford it previously due to lack of wage inflation.

No local private schools have closed since VAT and in fact one has increased its intake!

Local state secondaries are merging and primaries closing due to low numbers as a result of the drop in birth rate.

It’s far more complex than the VAT. But it’s true as another poster said above that people want much more for their money now - especially with costs of housing and indie education being a higher proportion of salary and being a “naice single sex school” isn’t competitive enough anymore.

Well said

Re you pp
Eton do not just take anyone that has the money
If they did Theyd have to increase their intake 5 fold