Parents left ‘shocked’ by decision to close school
PARENTS are said to be “shocked and concerned” after it was announced that an independent school in Somerset is to close.
The 122-year-old Bruton School for Girls will shut at the end of this academic year, which is only a few weeks away.
The school for girls aged from two to 19, and for boys aged from two to seven, has been struggling for a while with low pupil numbers.
Ewan Jones, mayor of Bruton and chair of the town council, has said its closure is a huge loss for the town because the school meant a lot to its local community.
He said: “It obviously will have a huge effect. This is a school that has been going for over 120 years and many people in Bruton attended it or had family members that went to it.
“It’s a big part of the community. It used to be the girls’ grammar school. It’s really sad news that it’s closing at the end of the academic year.”
The mayor said parents had already expressed their “shock and concern” to him at the closure decision.
“There are already quite a lot of parents who are concerned with the news and who will be asking the Charity Commission to check everything possible was done to save it,” he said.
“Parents had been told back in March that there was a plan to get the numbers up and they joined the King’s Foundation. So this has obviously come as a shock to some. We have had quite a lot of people get in touch that are very shocked.”
In a statement, the King’s Foundation said: “At the last ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate) inspection in 2018 there were 199 pupils in the school. Unfortunately, pupil numbers have continued to fall at BSG with a total school roll of 45 pupils expected in September 2022.
“The governors have reluctantly decided that these low pupil numbers are not educationally or economically viable, and have therefore decided to permanently close the school at the end of this academic year.”
The school, founded in 1900, said it would be “doing all it can” to support staff and its pupils through the closure. The closure does not affect other schools within the same group.
Senior warden of The King’s School, Bruton Foundation, Stephen Edlmann, said it was “extremely sad” and had been an “extremely difficult decision”. He paid tribute to members of staff, who had “worked tirelessly”.
He said: “This is extremely sad news after the optimism surrounding Bruton School for Girls joining the King’s Foundation earlier this year, when 114 pupils were expected at BSG in September 2022. Unfortunately, this optimism has not been translated into pupil retention, let alone further pupil growth.”
He added: “This has been an extremely difficult decision, but with a projected pupil roll of under 50 girls across nine year groups, from Years 5 to 13, it is not viable to run a school and offer the fully-rounded education parents expect, or children deserve.
“I want to pay tribute to the staff who have worked tirelessly at BSG and will continue to do so through to July to celebrate the successes of our current pupils.
“There will be no impact on the operation of BSG for the remainder of the summer term. All current BSG pupils will be fully supported through their exams, and all activities will take place as programmed.
“I would like to thank all our staff and parents for their support of the school through these extremely uncertain and challenging times. Governors do not underestimate the difficulties that this decision will bring, but are united in believing that not to act now would only magnify the problems down the line.”
He continued: “We believe that taking this very difficult decision now and working with our parents and pupils is the best thing we can do for all those involved.”