Parents at a loss as special needs school is to close
PARENTS say they are devastated after a cherished special needs school said it will close next week.
Privately-run Crossley Manor School, in Rainhill, Merseyside, told families just weeks before the end of the summer term that it does not have enough pupils to continue.
Donna Lunt, 39, said she was “heartbroken” after the announcement by owners Elysium Healthcare, which has left her 11-year-old son Christopher frantic with worry.
The mother-of-four, from Haydock, said: “We thought he’d be there until he was 19. It’s devastating.”
Crossley Manor teaches pupils aged five to 19 with special educational needs such as autism and epilepsy. It is understood 11 pupils, aged between six and 16, will now have to find alternative schools.
A staff member, who asked to remain anonymous, said employees felt “abandoned” and parents were “beside themselves with worry”.
In a letter to Mrs Lunt, the Department for Education said it had “no power to intervene” at the school. It was set up two years ago by Elysium Healthcare, a company funded by private equity firm BC Partners. Fees of £35,000 a year are typically paid by the local authority.
Elysium said: “It is with great reluctance we have come to the decision. School staff have worked tirelessly to make the school a success. Unfortunately, we were unable to attract sufficient pupils.”
St Helens Council said it was planning to move pupils to the school when the closure was announced. A spokesman said: “Representatives met with the proprietor to offer assistance moving forward but sadly this was not taken up.”