Bursary pupils stranded as private schools shut up shop

Parents left thousands of pounds out of pocket are fighting for refunds as private schools shut their doors during the Covid pandemic.

Historic schools including Minster in York, which can trace its origins back to 627AD, have had to close permanently owing to financial difficulties.

Andrew Hennie, 50, from Surrey, paid £1,996 for a summer term of teaching that was never delivered after his daughter’s school, HawleyHurst, went into administration in March. The Hampshire school counts Sarah, Duchess of York, among its alumni and was co-owned by Sir Tim Smit, the millionaire founder of the Eden Project.

“Quantuma, the administrator, is having to pay off all the debts the school built up, and parents like me will get nothing back because we are last in line for a payout,” Mr Hennie said.

He has been penalised for paying early. Parents who paid the summer term fees a few weeks later, once the school had announced it was going into administration, were told their money would be ring-fenced and they would be refunded if HawleyHurst had to close.

“The owners were multimillionaires. A few thousand pounds probably means nothing to them, but it will set me back by months,” Mr Hennie said.

His eight- year- old daughter, who was on reduced fees at HawleyHurst, is now attending a state school, as he and his ex-partner were unable to find her a bursary place at a different private school at short notice.

Parents of bursary pupils at St Mary’s in Shaftesbury have also found themselves hard up since the Dorset school entered administration in July. The boarding school, which was attended by Laura Lopes, the Duchess of Cornwall’s daughter, charged boarders arders up to £11,400 a term, yet had been een struggling for a while. The governors rnors said Covid-19 had “wiped away” ” all progress in improving its finances. nces.

One parent, who asked to o remain anonymous, lost a bursary ry worth thousands of pounds a year. ear. “We were lucky: we found our daughter a place at another private ivate school that was willing to offer subsidised fees. But for other ther parents it’s been disastrous,” us,” she said. “If you’re on a full ull bursary it’s very difficult to find another at short notice.” .”

She said moving school l in itself entailed a cost “both emotionally, especially during a pandemic, and financially when buying all the new uniforms”. u