Leweston School near Sherborne, Dorset, is the latest private school to announce its closure since the introduction of VAT on fees in January 2025. The century-old private school, which had pupils from nursery age to 18 and whose alumni include the actress Kristin Scott Thomas, gave no reason when it announced its sudden closure on Tuesday 27 October, during the school’s half-term. According to the Independent Schools Council, 117 mainstream schools have closed since VAT was announced in July 2024, with only 27 mainstream schools opening over the same period. Rising fees and living costs, together with the 20 per cent VAT, have been identified as key drivers behind the closures.
Here, two parents at the school describe their shock and confusion over the sudden decision, and the enormous consequences for their lives.
‘We paid £42,000 for the whole year – we’re not sure we’ll get any of it back’
Matthew Baker, a business owner, had a daughter (11) and son (14) at Leweston School until 1.30pm on 27 October, when they were informed, by email, of the school’s decision.
“We moved to Dorset around a decade ago and put my son in primary school but he struggled. When we found Leweston, we all immediately loved it and he has been there ever since. We enrolled our daughter too, from the nursery onwards and she is now in Year 7, while our son is at the start of his GCSE years.
“Our first house in Dorset was a 45-minute drive from the school, so we actually bought a house around the corner and spent the last three years renovating it. Now, all of a sudden, we have to find them new school places, with any feasible options around an hour’s drive away.
“I understand school closures; that it’s a direct result of the Labour policy, but the timing is horrific. Doing it during half-term feels deliberate and it’s caused chaos. There is a pentathlon school trip on in Europe right now where teachers are taking care of the students abroad – they all found out at the same time we did.
“My kids don’t understand why it’s happened and are devastated. Our daughter has only known that school and loves it. Because the school pulls in students from far and wide, she doesn’t really comprehend how her friendship group has been broken. And my son, he doesn’t love school like any 14-year-old boy, but he loved his friends and the community. It’s the first time I’ve seen him properly cry.
“When we moved him to Leweston, I told him, ‘This is your school – I promise we won’t move you again. I will work to afford it’, and that promise is now broken.
“I’m angry about how this has been handled. It should have been done in the summer holidays. But parents and students were kept in the dark and the school kept on as normal. Last week, they were collecting fees for school trips, including one that was £3,500. We paid our school fees for two children for the whole year, which was £42,000. I’m not clear whether we will get it back, and have now accepted that money may be gone.
“The money involved is eye-watering, and the teachers aren’t being paid, but it’s the emotional element that’s really impacting all of us.
“We honestly don’t know what we’re going to do. My biggest fear is enrolling the kids somewhere else for it to all happen again. A school about 45 minutes away, Claysmore, has offered to take Leweston pupils but I don’t know if we should risk it. They’re also owned by a group like Leweston, and there are 600 Leweston pupils who might turn up there on Monday morning.
“The adjustment for the kids is going to be massive. Our son, going into GCSEs, will have been studying different textbooks and will already be behind. Their friendship groups are going to be scattered, our son and daughter will probably go to separate schools, and we’ll have to go back to an even bigger commute of about three hours a day. And the local state school is just not an option: they are all full.
“We decided that private school was right for our kids and we’re really lucky that we got to make that choice. But the introduction of VAT feels almost like a punishment. We’re not an Eton; the parents at Leweston were all funding the fees by forgoing a lot. And I just fear that wherever they end up, this is going to happen again.
“I can’t believe that schools are allowed to fail. Everyone will say this, but it really was a special little place. My only comfort is that the kids and teachers didn’t have to go through a long goodbye. But the way this has been handled is a nightmare.”
‘We’re giving our fees to the staff who haven’t been paid’
Kelsey, an HGV driver who did not want to give her full name, has a 16-month-old daughter at the nursery of Leweston. At 1pm yesterday, she got an email informing her of the school and nursery’s closure and asking her to pick up her daughter as soon as possible.
“Our daughter has been at Leweston nursery since she was five months old. My partner and I both work full-time and we deliberately chose Leweston because we all loved it. It costs the same as any other nursery she’d go to but she was truly thriving there. She was there from 7.30am every day for breakfast club and was learning so much: she’s walking, talking, has an incredible vocabulary and loved exploring the private grounds and seeing the ponies.
“All of a sudden, we were told that the whole school was shutting. The car park was full of crying parents, staff were in tears as they had just heard when we did, plus they found out they weren’t getting paid. All the children’s things were put in piles outside of the door.
“The children didn’t really understand what was going on but picked up that something was wrong and were all distressed. How could they understand that they’re never returning?
“While every school child has been redirected, the nursery kids haven’t and we’ve found that every other possible nursery is full. There are 80 kids and 80 families now without childcare. One nursery I spoke to said they are full until 2028; another said that I was the 35th parent that had contacted them in the last hour. Some are in discussions to employ the staff at Leweston now out of a job, but that isn’t confirmed.
“As parents had not yet been invoiced for October and have collectively decided to put that money towards the wages of the staff who haven’t been paid for half a term. But without any other childcare options, we’re forced to scramble. Neither me or my partner has family who can support us.
“I just don’t understand how they can do this. The horses apparently have to be gone from the grounds by the end of the week. I’m having to work a full shift from 3am to 10.30am while my partner misses the beginning of his work, then he hands her off to me before going to work. If we both had a nine to five one of us would have to quit. They might have done this in half-term to avoid backlash, but I don’t think it’s worked. Everyone is so angry and upset.”
The i Paper contacted Leweston School for comment but no one was available.
Hence then, the article about we just paid our 42 000 fees the parents whose private school suddenly closed was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( ‘We just paid our £42,000 fees’: The parents whose private school suddenly closed )
Also on site :
- Nike deepens India push with new running shoe, Vegam Run, at ₹3,795
- Netflix’s New Natalee Holloway Docuseries Could Finally Solve the Mystery That Has Haunted Her Family for 21 Years
- In 2002, Justin Timberlake paid $8.3 million for a Los Angeles property once built for Helen Hunt that he later expanded into a 10-acre compound; he later listed it for $35 million