Mum devastated at closure of private school

A parent from an independent primary school, which has gone into administration, said the closure had a devastating impact on her family.

The fee-paying Iona School in Sneinton, Nottingham, permanently closed to all pupils on 20 September.

Administrators working on behalf of The Iona School Association cited rising operational costs and a decline in pupil numbers.

Ana Undah, whose youngest daughter was a pupil, said it had been stressful trying to liaise with the local authority and schools to find a suitable alternative for her child.

She joined other parents from the school in August to express concern about government plans to increase the cost of private school fees next year.

Value added tax (VAT) at the standard rate of 20% will be added to private school fees from 1 January 2025, under plans announced by the new Labour government.

Head teacher Rob Strafford had told the BBC he feared the school's future was "at risk" if the current plans went ahead.

He declined to comment on the school's subsequent closure after administrators were called in.

Parents of pupils have been making alternative arrangements for their children's education, including Ms Undah, who said she felt "like her whole world just collapsed".

The 44-year-old added: "I was really upset because I’ve spent almost 15 years being part of the community with my other children.

“It’s not just the loss for the school for my youngest daughter, but part of the community for myself, ” she added.

“It was very sad and very stressful because I didn’t know what I was going to do.”

The school used the Steiner Waldorf method of teaching, which focused on imaginative play, instead of testing.

Ms Undah said her daughter now went to a temporary homeschooling hub.

The Greenwood Yew is registered with the local authority and is coordinating the pilot scheme for a month.

Ms Undah said: "They’ve got everything. I was very, very impressed, and very grateful that they did it.

“I’m feeling happier and optimistic, and I can see this hopefully working.”

The business advisory firm, FRP, was appointed administrators of Iona School Association on 23 September.

A spokesperson said: "Regrettably, all 11 employees of the school have been made redundant and are now being supported by the administrators in their engagement with the Redundancy Payments Service."

The administrators are now expected to seek expressions of interest regarding the school estate.

A spokesperson for His Majesty's Treasury previously said: "Ending tax breaks on private schools will help to raise the revenue needed to fund our education priorities for next year, such as recruiting 6,500 new teachers."

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