School falls silent

Closure is blamed on Covid-19

IF THERE were any remaining doubts about the far-reaching financial implications of coronavirus into every sector of the economy, the news that one of the oldest schools in the world is to close its doors here in Yorkshire this summer should dispel them.

The Minster School in York was originally opened in 627 by the first Archbishop of York, with the current prep school refounded in 1903.

The Chapter of York, the governing body of York Minster, has said the closure is down to a “catastrophic loss of visitor income” for the neighbouring cathedral – money which was vital to funding the education of the school’s pupils.

With deep uncertainty as to when visitor numbers will return to anything like previous levels and a £5.2m financial shortfall facing The Chapter of York this year, it has been decided that its investment of £750,000 per year in the school is no longer viable.

As the Dean of York, the Right Rev Dr Jonathan Frost, notes, such difficult decisions are facing many independent preparatory schools across the country.

One small silver lining is that arrangements are being made for young choristers who attend the school to continue to be trained by York Minster’s Department of Music while the nearby St Peter’s School will now become the choir school of the Minster.

But that positive note cannot drown out both the similar fights for survival now facing many independent schools – as well as the clear example of the terrible economic impact being felt in Yorkshire from tourism to the region effectively being brought to a grinding halt by the pandemic.