Two private schools to merge following tax blow

Two of Scotland’s top independent high schools are set to merge as the sector braces itself for a change in tax rules that will see them lose their charitable status.

Morrison’s Academy in Crieff and Beaconhurst School in Bridge of Allan are to create one independent school from the beginning of the 2018-19 school year.

The management and financial ownership of the enlarged organisation will fall to Morrison’s following a decline in senior pupil numbers at Beaconhurst, which will keep its synonymous nursery and junior school, which serves nearly 200 pupils. Morrison’s Academy’s related nursery and junior school are unaffected by the move.

Staff at Beaconhurst will have to apply for new jobs at the enlarged Morrison’s Academy.

Fees at Morrison’s, which counts actor Ewan Mcgregor and Olympic curler Eve Muirhead among its alumni, are around £4,300 a term for sec- ondary school pupils. The sector is preparing for a £5 million tax hike imposed by the Scottish Government.

Tom Preston, chairman of the board of governors at Beaconhurst, said: “It is no secret that the affordability of a private education in Scotland has been increasingly problematic for families and schools alike.”