School closure leaves parents and staff in the dark

8 minutes ago

Tony Fisherin Luton

News image — Parent-of-two Irsa Malik described the way the closure was communicated as "unprofessional" and "unethical"

Tony Fisher/BBC A woman wearing a black hijab and grey coat standing in front of a wooden gate which has a sign which reads "King's House School". There is a red brick building to the right. — Parent-of-two Irsa Malik described the way the closure was communicated as "unprofessional" and "unethical"

Parents who paid thousands of pounds upfront for private school fees are worried they will lose the money after the school closed abruptly.

King's House Moorlands in Luton emailed parents at 16:30 GMT on Thursday informing them that the school would shut for good at 17:00 the same day.

In a statement, the school blamed "a challenging economic backdrop and tax pressures on independent schools".

Irsa Malik, whose children aged 10 and six attended the school, said: "I could not sleep all night and have been crying since one in the morning."

The 40-year-old mum said there was "no clarity as to how we are going to proceed and where we are going to go".

She said the family had paid £10,000 per child for this year's tuition fees, running until the end of September.

They had forked out a further £3,000 for other costs - she said - including catering, stationery and a residential trip that was planned for May.

"There was no way we would be able to recoup the money," she added.

Parent Cecil Bennie, 66, said some families had paid fees up to two years in advance in order to get a discount.

According to the government website, the school had 178 pupils aged between five and 16.

Tony Fisher/BBC The entrance to "Moorlands School" which has a path and steps leading up to it. The school is behind a wooden fence. In the foreground there is a footpath and railings. — There is a primary and secondary school at the site in the Leagrave part of Luton

Teacher Ella Smith told the BBC that staff only found out about the closure 30 minutes before the email was sent to families.

The geography and history teacher said about 50 members of staff were told "we did not have jobs, we would not be paid, and the children would not have a school".

"It is so unfair," said the tearful 32-year-old.

Nahida Kauser, 45, has been a welfare officer at the school for seven years. She said the staff had been "left high and dry".

She said that Friday was pay day, the day after the closure was announced.

"Our children don't have schools to go to and we don't have jobs," she added.

Tony Fisher/BBC A man with grey hair who is wearing a black coat. He is standing in front of some red brick buildings including a church hall. There is tarmac and a strip of grass behind him. — Parent Cecil Bennie said he was upset at the closure, but that the family had been looking for a new school anyway

In a statement, the school said it was under "an unsustainable financial burden" but it had "worked tirelessly over the past months to try to avoid this outcome and to find a solution to enable the school to continue as a going concern".

It added that it had engaged with the local authority and neighbouring schools to "help our pupils secure alternative places and our staff to secure new positions".

Luton Borough Council said: "While the council does not have a legal duty to secure alternative school places from an independent school, we are concerned that young people have abruptly been left with no education, so are working closely with and pressing the school to make sure parents are fully informed about their options.

"Our immediate priority is to help guide parents and carers through the process in applying for a new school place as quickly and smoothly as possible."

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