850-year-old cathedral prep school to close after Labour VAT raid

A private school has announced it will shut after 850 years over “unavoidable financial pressures” in the wake of Labour’s VAT raid.

Exeter Cathedral School, which was founded in the 12th century, will close its preparatory school from September for years three to eight.

It said the cathedral’s choristers will be moved to Exeter School, another local independent school. Choristers have been educated at the cathedral school since as early as 1179, its records show.

Fees at the school, which has 176 pupils, are as much as £6,952 a term for children in years six to eight, including £1,158 in VAT, its website notes.

In a statement released on Thursday, the school described the decision to close as “extremely difficult” and blamed financial pressures that “many small independent schools are currently facing”. It did not say if the new taxes were behind its decision.

“We understand the impact this will have on our entire school community, our students and their families, as well as our dedicated staff.

“By sharing this decision now, we hope to give families and colleagues the time they need to plan for alternative school placements in September,” the school’s statement added.

Headmasters of the Choir Schools Association, which represents 40 private schools whose pupils sing in cathedral choirs, warned before the election that Labour’s plan to charge VAT on school fees would have “catastrophic” effects on their schools.

David Morton, of the CSA, said at the time it would “damage the national heritage” by limiting the ability of choir schools to recruit choristers from poorer backgrounds using scholarships and bursaries.

He said: “Not all independent schools are like Winchester, Eton or Rugby; they are tiny little schools like specialist choir schools.

“Adding 20pc on to fees could be catastrophic for typical small choir schools. They just won’t be able to afford to pay scholarships for the pupils.”

It comes a year after Labour launched its tax raid on private schools, which saw 20pc VAT charged on fees and business rates charged for the first time.

Analysis by the Independent Schools Council, an association of private schools, found that 105 schools had ceased operating since the policy was introduced, including 15 which had been merged with others.

Exeter Cathedral School, which has been independent of Exeter Cathedral for around a decade, said its nursery and pre-prep school would be taken over by Inspired Learning Group, a private education provider.

In a statement, Exeter Cathedral said: “The Cathedral is immensely grateful for everything Exeter Cathedral School has contributed to the choristers and to Cathedral life throughout its long history. It is with real sadness that this relationship will come to an end in July.

“Exeter School has a reputation for excellence, care of pupils, extra-curricular activities, fine facilities, community engagement and a long history in this city. We are confident that the choristers will thrive there, and both Exeter School and the Cathedral have been working hard to ensure as smooth a transition as possible.”

[Source: Daily Telegraph]