Cotswold private school to close after 106 years amid Labour tax raid

A 106-year-old Cotswolds private school is to close amid Labour’s VAT raid.

Rendcomb College, near Cirencester, Gloucestershire, announced that it would shut this summer because of “the economic situation facing independent schools across the country”, as well as its current and projected pupil numbers.

It said the school would not be “financially viable in the future”, meaning 380 children will be forced to move elsewhere.

David Tyler, the former chairman of Sainsbury’s, attended Rendcomb College in the 1960s.

Saqib Bhatti, shadow education minister, told The Telegraph: “Labour’s schools tax is an ideological attack on aspiration and on people who work hard to be able to invest in their children’s education.

“Every time a school is forced to close thanks to this tax, it means more children’s lives are disrupted and more pressure on the state sector.”

Rendcomb, which has both day and boarding pupils, opened in 1920 and has been described by The Good Schools Guide as “idyllic”.

More than 100 schools have been forced to close since Labour began imposing 20 per cent VAT on school fees in January 2025.

Earlier this week, girls’ school Palmers Green High, in north London, also announced it was consulting on plans to shut.

Paul Hodgkinson, a councillor for the area, said he was surprised by the closure and warned it would have a significant impact on the region.

“Lots of the homes in the village are owned by school staff, so it’s going to have a real impact on the wider community,” he said.

Other notable Rendcomb alumni include Richard Dunwoody, the retired National Hunt jockey, and David Vaisey, the historian.

In a statement on the school’s website, a spokesman said: “The staff and governors have done everything to make Rendcomb College an excellent school, and its closure is highly unfortunate but sadly unavoidable.

“This is a very sad decision to have taken and follows the exploration of every other feasible option, including mergers and other forms of funding.”

They added: “Our focus now will be on helping pupils find appropriate alternative provision and assisting our highly professional and dedicated staff to find posts elsewhere.”

Christian San José, headmaster at nearby Wycliffe College in Stonehouse, said his school was “in a position to be able to offer places in all year groups” to Rendcomb College pupils.

[Source: Daily Telegraph]