The past week has brought sad news from the independent school sector in St John’s Wood. On July 31, parents shared that Abercorn School had announced its closure with immediate effect, leaving families to find a new school from this September. In its most recent inspection in October 2023, the school had 181 children on its roll. Abercorn School ran a very popular nursery and pre-prep in St John’s Wood and had always been a welcoming first step for international families moving to London.
A few days after, prospective parents of St John’s Wood Pre-Prep received notice by the school’s liquidators that the school was closing, putting deposits paid at risk. Current parents had been notified earlier in the year, helping the 35 children on roll, mostly in the early years (ages 3-5) with some in Year 1 find new places for September (see clarification from the school in the comment section below).
Timing wise, it is hard not to think that the new VAT policy announced pushed these schools over the brink. Many commentators have rightly pointed out that many independent schools have likely been struggling for longer. In my own observation as an educational consultant focusing on Central London independent schools, I had certainly noticed that some schools had experienced a decline in applications for many reasons: Brexit did not help, nor did the closure of the investor visa scheme, which had been an attractive route for high net worth families around the world. The birth rate in London peaked in 2012 and has come down since then, which would naturally reduce demand for nursery and 4+ places. At the same time, many larger schools increased their intake, creating more competition for smaller schools in the area.
So it is true that there are many reasons why some independent schools have struggled in recent years. I imagine though that some were holding out hope that things could improve, as London continues to be an attractive destination for families from around the world looking for high quality, well-rounded education. I imagine that the new VAT policy will have quashed hopes that demand was going to improve any time soon and was the final straw.
I hope the affected families manage to find suitable school places at short notice and wish them the best of luck.
Clarification from St John’s Wood Pre-Prep:
Our school announced its sad closure was way before that of Abercorn. SJW Pre-Prep had managed to secure new places for all pupils and give the staff an opportunity to find new jobs.
Abercorn however, has left parents, pupils and teachers in a very precarious ‘high & dry’ position – with little chance to find new schools or jobs. It is a disaster for the children. Totally outrageous.
The multi-factored perfect storm has been brewing for a while. The straw that has broken the back of this vocational camel was the 20% VAT on school fees. Parents have wanted and worked so hard to give their children the best start.
Many more small/medium independent schools will fall.
How sad.