Shock as £21k-a-year non-public faculty shuts after doomed £5m growth
A high non-public faculty has been pressured to close its doorways for good after an bold £5million growth bid went catastrophically fallacious.
Hundreds of kids and oldsters at fee-paying Belmont School, close to Dorking, Surrey, have been left ‘devastated’ by the bombshell closure announcement on Tuesday.
The 143-year-old establishment, the place charges can price as much as £21,840 a 12 months, sparked panic on November 30 when, with out warning, it introduced it might shut for good, earlier than confirming the closure simply 12 days later, with Friday being the final day.
It means some 200 pupils – together with greater than a dozen Year 11s learning for his or her GCSEs – might probably be with out a faculty place in January, with dad and mom now in a determined race towards time to search out their kids someplace new to go.
Rosanna Oliver-Black, whose three kids go to Belmont – together with her eldest daughter in Year 11 – instructed MailOnline: ‘The youngsters are devastated. My woman was in tears. As a dad or mum you simply need to shelter them from all this however you’ll be able to’t. The GCSE pupils are in shock and so they’re scared.’
Financially-troubled Belmont had been going through a decline in full-fee paying pupils on high of hovering working prices. In an try to show its fortunes round, a £5million plan to assemble a brand new state-of-the-art faculty constructing was green-lit, whereas Belmont additionally sought to develop its instructional provision from Year 8 as much as Year 11.
But the daring bid to construct the brand new Aquileon block was stricken by delays, Belmont mentioned, resulting in a bitter authorized dispute over prices with Hampshire-based agency Ascia Construction. Instead of being the varsity’s saviour, the brand new constructing finally proved the ultimate nail within the coffin for Belmont.
Belmont School, a fee-paying impartial, has been pressured to shut after 143 years after stepping into monetary difficulties (the varsity is pictured)
The information comes following a dispute over prices for its new £5million Aquileon constructing (pictured) which led to a authorized conflict between Belmont and Hampshire agency Ascia Construction
Granted planning permission in February 2020, the block – which included six new senior lecture rooms, an ICT suite, two new artwork rooms and a performing arts house – was because of open on the finish of 2022. But setbacks meant it wasn’t unveiled till June of this 12 months.
Meanwhile, throughout this time monetary data present Belmont’s debt ballooned from £1,262,082 in July 2020 to £4,433,771 two years later. No figures have been launched for 2023.
On July 6, 2023, the varsity’s longstanding headteacher, Helen Skrine retired after 17 years. Her alternative, Marc Broughton began in August of this 12 months and introduced the varsity’s closure simply 4 months later.
In a press release, Belmont instructed dad and mom: ‘Despite efforts to enhance and prolong its schooling service, Belmont has been working under the place it needs to be for budgetary functions. Compounding components have taken their toll, comparable to, deteriorating affordability, falling numbers of full fee-paying dad and mom, increased rates of interest and better working prices.’
It added: ‘A important eight-month delay on the completion of the Aquileon constructing not solely additional depleted the varsity’s funds but additionally made advertising the varsity significantly tough each to recruit new pupils and potential buyers within the faculty.
‘In addition to this, in current weeks the varsity has discovered itself in dispute over last prices with the development agency, which has resulted in a declare being taken to adjudication and subsequent litigation.’
MailOnline understands a rescue package deal is now being developed by present head Mr Broughton to try to discover Year 11s pressing new locations. However, dad and mom have mentioned they continue to be at midnight about what this package deal might appear like.
Local Surrey impartial colleges are in talks to see how they’ll help, whereas Belmont lecturers – who’ve now misplaced their jobs, with these residing on web site additionally dropping their houses – have reportedly stepped up and provided tuition within the evenings, in keeping with dad and mom.
About 200 pupils attend the varsity, close to Dorking in Surrey, with dad and mom now going through a mad scramble to search out them new locations to check
The mission to construct the brand new faculty block was meant to be accomplished by the top of 2022 however was delayed by months and completed in June 2023 (the block is pictured underneath development)
The effort was a part of Belmont faculty’s bid to develop in dimension and lodging extra pupils
Mrs Oliver-Black mentioned her eldest daughter was now in schooling ‘limbo’, with out a faculty to go to within the new 12 months. She added: ‘There’s a plan underfoot but it surely’s all very rushed. There was a dialogue about repeating Year 11 however the resounding choice was that that can’t occur.
‘The headmaster has been superb. He actually has. He is making an attempt to place plans in place the place in some way the Year 11s can keep collectively… We do not know precisely what these plans appear like.’
Despite an Eleventh-hour scramble by dad and mom and workers to try to reserve it, Mr Broughton mentioned Belmont must shut. ‘We have labored tirelessly to exhaust all avenues to search out a solution to this case, however the Governing physique, Save Belmont workforce and faculty leaders have sadly been unable to provide you with a viable answer,’ he added.
One 45-year-old mom mentioned her two kids, 11 and 13, had been left ‘distraught’ by the information the varsity was going to shut, which got here ‘utterly out of the blue’.
‘It was full shock. The kids thought it was a joke,’ the dad or mum instructed MailOnline. ‘The kids’s buddies began ringing them. They have been completely devastated and floods of tears.
‘It was only a feeling of whole disbelief. It got here utterly out of the blue. We opened the e-mail and we have been simply numb.’
The mom, who requested to not be named, mentioned the varsity had been ‘transformational’ for her 13-year-old daughter, constructing again the teenager’s confidence.
Pictured is the work beginning on the brand new facility, which Belmont mentioned it was investing £5m in
The mission to construct the Aquileon led to a authorized row over prices between the varsity and constructing agency Ascia, Belmont mentioned in a press release to oldsters
The last message to oldsters, on Tuesday, introduced the varsity would shut on Friday
She added she had managed to discover a last-minute place for her two kids at one other faculty within the county – however mentioned many dad and mom had not been so fortunate.
‘I do know kids who haven’t got a spot and oldsters are actually tearing their hair out making an attempt to scramble to search out one,’ she mentioned.
‘Some colleges have been bringing their admin groups in at weekends to try to assist us. It’s a mad rush.’
Sir Paul Beresford, Conservative MP for Mole Valley, was ‘shocked’ by the information and is now in disaster talks with Surrey County Council’s schooling chief, Councillor Clare Curran to see if college students might be taken by state colleges.
‘This scenario is grim,’ Sir Paul added. ‘It’s going to be a really robust few weeks and for these sitting their exams, it might probably be a catastrophe.’
Andrew Baker, chairman of governors, was ‘deeply saddened’ and mentioned: ‘This tough choice has been made by the board of governors following a troublesome few years for the varsity and the impartial faculty sector typically.
‘Sadly, we’ve got not been capable of finding an answer to avoid wasting Belmont School. The rescue plan that was actioned by the Belmont neighborhood to attempt to save the varsity was a transparent demonstration of the unimaginable spirit and neighborhood throughout the Belmont household and we’re indebted to the efforts of so many.’
Repeated requests by MailOnline to Belmont and Ascia Construction for additional remark weren’t answered.
In a weblog put up on their web site concerning the development of the Aquileon constructing, Ascia mentioned there had been ‘a number of logistical challenges’ through the mission.
