Head blames Tories and Labour for school closure

The head teacher and founder of an independent school has blamed Conservative and Labour policies for its forthcoming closure after 40 years.

Elizabeth Laffeaty-Sharpe said the number of pupils at Downham Preparatory School in Downham Market, Norfolk, had never recovered to pre-pandemic levels, falling from about 120 to just 40.

She said many parents could no longer afford the £7,000 annual fees due to mortgage interest rate rises following the government's 2022 mini-budget, and that many feared rising fees should Labour win the general election.

"It's heartbreaking and I'm angry," said Mrs Laffeaty-Sharpe.

She said some circumstances affecting the school, including the Covid pandemic, were beyond anyone's control.

"But some of them, like ridiculous interest rates or having to pay £4,000 a month for electricity - that could have been managed better," she said.

She said Labour's plans to charge private schools 20% value added tax (VAT), as well as ending business rate relief, were "the last straw".

The party hopes the moves will raise about £1.7bn, to be invested into state schools.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer previously denied the policy was an attack on the independent sector, but said he wanted state schools to be just as good.

Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, meanwhile, has criticised the plans, saying they showed Labour did not understand the aspirations of hard-working families.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has said he “never thought, in principle, that VAT should be applied to education”.

The school has plans to mark its 40th birthday with a party before shutting this summer.

The news has come as a shock to parents including Hannah Doy, who has a child at the school and another in its nursery, which will stay open.

She said her son struggled at his state school and ended up at Downham Prep after a number of exclusions.

"He was a very angry and unhappy child," she said.

"He's come here and he is absolutely thriving. Academically, he's caught up after a year and a half of being out of the classroom.

"He's a happy boy. He has a group of friends, which he didn't have before. It's changed our lives. So we are absolutely devastated that the school is closing."

Freya, nine, said: "In some schools there are bullies. But in this school there are no bullies at all. It's such a small school - it's just really friendly."

Mrs Laffety-Sharpe said many parents of pupils with had special educational needs and that their parents had turned to private schools because they could not find an appropriate space in a state school.

Norfolk County Council said “a very small number” of children at the school had special educational needs and it was “confident” it would find alternative places for them.

It said it was processing applications from 25 other families, and would let them know the outcome before the end of June.

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