Dozens of Nottingham pupils left needing new school after closure of private primary

Eleven members of staff have lost their jobs

The closure of a private primary school in Nottingham has left dozens of pupils seeking education elsewhere. Iona School in Sneinton shut at the beginning of this academic year on September 20, with administrators citing rising operating costs and a decline in pupil numbers.

Eleven staff members have been made redundant from the school, which opened in 1985 and last year taught 62 pupils from nursery age to year six. Its head teacher, Rob Strafford, had raised concerns about the impact of the government's plan to change tax rules on private school fees, telling Nottinghamshire Live in August that closure was "quite possible".

The Labour administration is removing the current exemption from value-added tax (VAT) for private schools, resulting in a 20 per cent increase on fees. The tax will apply for all payments for the January term made from July 29 onwards.

Iona School followed the Steiner Waldorf curriculum, a method of teaching that puts an emphasis on playing and creativity and opts not to use textbooks or technology. Fran Russell, executive director of Waldorf UK, said the change to fees was not the only factor in the school's closure, but claimed it had put new parents off enrolling their children.

She said it was a "pretty devastating" outcome for existing pupils. "I completely understand why the government needs to raise funds for the state sector and make it a level playing field for all children," she said.

"But the large hike is much more difficult for parents to manage and we would have preferred it spread out over two years rather than an immediate hike. We don't charge high fees so our schools aren't able to absorb VAT as the government expects. So the burden will fall on parents."

Iona School charged around £8,000 per pupil for each year, well below the national average of £15,000, and its head said the school regularly negotiated discounted prices for parents. "They attract parents who don't have a lot of money, they're not super rich," said Ms Russell.

"They have to pay fees because they can't access Steiner schools in the state sector. Education has become very pressurised. Our schools were taking in children who were struggling in that environment.

"For the families at the school it's pretty devastating. They will be unsure of what to do. It will be very difficult for the children because they will be having to to move from a very small Steiner school into a state school that will be delivering a very different education."

She said she was not expecting any of the 17 remaining UK Steiner schools to also close. Administrators FRP said: "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 appointment follows a period in which the school experienced cashflow challenges related to rising operating costs and a decline in pupil numbers. The administrators are now expected to seek expressions of interest regarding the school estate.

A spokesperson for the Treasury previously said: “We want to ensure all children have the best chance in life to succeed. 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.”