Fury as schools with centuries of history are forced to merge
Old boy Philip Larkin will be turning in his grave at ‘crazy’ proposal, say campaigners
PHILIP LARKIN will be ‘turning in his grave’ over a recent decision to merge his former school with a rival institution, it was claimed last night.
The poet, who attended the 476-year-old King Henry VIII (KHVIII) School in Coventry during the 1930s and 1940s, would be ‘astounded’ to learn that it is to be merged with its even older rival, Bablake School, according to a former headmaster.
The Coventry School Foundation, responsible for running both co-educational independent schools – which have a combined history of more than 1,150 years and each charge up to £12,000 in annual fees – made the decision to merge the pair last year.
Governors claim the ‘difficult but necessary’ decision was made because of a reduced demand for independent schools in the area.
But the move has met with fierce opposition from pupils, parents, exteachers and alumni incensed that the unique identities of each school would be lost.
Following complaints, the Charity Commission has now opened a fact-finding inquiry into the case. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the part of the CSF.
George Fisher, headmaster of KHVIII from 2000-2010 and subsequently a lead inspector in the
‘Centuries of ethos and traditions will be lost ’
Independent Schools Inspectorate, condemned the merger as a ‘crazy idea’.
‘These are two schools on opposite sides of Coventry which each have literally hundreds of years of their own separate history, ethos and traditions,’ he told The Mail on Sunday. ‘They compete tooth and nail on the netball court or rugby field and benefit from a healthy rivalry.
‘But all of that will be lost in this merger. Once you lose the individuality of a school, it’s not something you can ever get back.
‘Parents of current pupils don’t want to be told: “This is your only choice, like it or lump it.” And I think the sad reality is that many will lump it because it isn’t what they signed up for.’
The CSF’s plan to rebrand both institutions under the one name – ‘ Coventry School’ – has already prompted an immediate backlash. Governors were forced to back down and the new school will now be called Bablake and King Henry VIII School ( BKHS), which Mr Fisher said sounded ‘ like some failed high street retailer’.
He added: ‘We think the whole thing i s being driven through relentlessly by a very small number of governors and staff at the foundation office.’
A petition set up by a pupil at Bablake School, which was founded in 1344, calling for t he plans to be scrapped has attracted over 3,000 signatures. But despite the opposition, the CSF will continue to press ahead with t he merger from September.
It will see pupils aged six to 11 based at the former KHVIII campus and secondary pupils, aged 11 to 18, based at Bablake.
Paul Fernandez- Montes, chairman of the Old Coventrians – the King Henry VIII Former Pupils’ Association – said he had received ‘countless’ messages from ex-pupils objecting.
‘I’ve been overwhelmed by the strength of feeling against the proposed merger and remain bewildered at the lack of any attempt by the governors to provide a proper justification for the proposal,’ he said.
Last night, a Charity Commission spokesman said: ‘We have opened a regulatory compliance case into the charity to assess concerns relating to this matter and cannot comment further at this time.’
Julia McNaney, chairwoman of governors at the CSF said: ‘Against the backdrop of lowering demand for independent education in our region, our foundation took the difficult, but necessary, decision to do likewise.’ She added: ‘We understand that some of our alumni stakeholders have been disappointed by our decision to restructure the schools, and this may be what has led to complaints to the Charity Commission, which has prompted them to open a regulatory compliance case.
‘We are confident that the commission will find that we have acted in line with our charitable aims and objectives and to enable the charity to continue to serve local young people for many years to come.’