A prestigious public school has announced its closure after more than 100 years – as Labour presses ahead with its controversial VAT raid on private education fees.
Rendcomb College announced in a letter to parents it would be shutting its doors because it is no longer ‘financially viable’ to remain open.
The boarding school, established in the Cotswolds in 1920, charges fees starting at £3,370 a term for juniors and £8,945 a term for seniors.
Chairman of Governors, Nicholas Ford, has now revealed Rendcomb’s income is ‘insufficient’ due to the ‘economic situation’ facing independent schools across the country.
A statement on the school website reads: ‘Despite Rendcomb College’s extremely strong track record as a school, the reality is that current and projected pupil numbers, alongside the economic situation facing independent schools across the country, do not make the school financially viable in the future.
‘It has therefore reluctantly been decided that the school will close at the end of the academic year.
‘The staff and Governors have done everything to make Rendcomb College an excellent school, and its closure is highly unfortunate but sadly unavoidable.’
The statement added the College had benefited from ‘significant funding’ from the Rendcomb College Foundation for many years – but noted this support was no longer forthcoming.
Rendcomb College (pictured) announced in a letter to parents it would be shutting its doors because it is no longer ‘financially viable’ to remain open
The boarding school, established in 1920, charges fees starting at £3,370 a term for juniors and £8,945 a term for seniors. Rendcomb’s emblem is pictured
‘Whilst this has made the operation of the College possible until now, the enormous increase in the deficit for the current year, and the anticipated financial picture for next year, mean that such support is unsustainable.
‘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.
‘Our focus now will be on helping pupils find appropriate alternative provision, and assisting our highly professional and dedicated staff to find posts elsewhere,’ the statement said.
Earlier this month the Mail on Sunday revealed a total of 105 mainstream independent schools had closed due to Labour’s VAT raid on fees, affecting 25,000 children.
The grim tally was published by independent schools’ leader Julie Robinson on the first anniversary of the policy being introduced on January 1 last year.
Ms Robinson, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council, warned of a bleak picture in 2026 as Labour pushes on with what has been called ‘an ideological class war’ against private education.
Ms Robinson told the Mail on Sunday: ‘We are likely to see further closures over the coming months and years as the effects of VAT and other tax measures mount up.
‘While there is a combination of factors contributing to school closures, we know that there are some for whom the Government’s decision to tax education is a bridge too far.’
The parish church, St Peter’s (pictured), is located on the school site and is regarded as one of the finest remaining Norman works in Britain, dating back to the 12th century
She said the total of 105 schools included 15 which had been merged with others.
A spokesman for Education not Taxation, a parent-led and volunteer-run group campaigning against VAT on school fees and for educational choice, said: ‘In the last week, two schools announced closures due at least in part to the Government’s tax on education.
‘Over 594 students – including 202 with special education needs must now find a new school place.
‘The Government initially claimed that no schools would close, but now it’s clear that they were delusional.
‘Over 100 schools have now closed, and the count will only continue to rise. This is on top of thousands more students who left schools that survive.
‘It’s time to end this tax, once and for all. The numbers never added up, and children are paying the price–in both independent and state schools.
‘If the Government truly wants to improve education, it should encourage choice and innovation instead of taxing parents and economically destroying schools.
‘It is time for the Government to listen to parents and affected children before further damage is done.’
Even some of the most famous schools in the country were among those hit by financial worries.
Marlborough College, the alma mater of the Princess of Wales, was forced to turn off the heating during the holidays to save money, according to one staff member who wished to remain anonymous.
The Wiltshire school, also mooted as a possible destination for Prince George, charges up to £61,800 a year. But it closed its annual summer school after 50 years, citing financial pressures including VAT on fees.
The figures make a mockery of Labour’s initial forecasts that they did not expect any schools to close.
It was only in March last year, after a dozen schools had shut, that a Minister admitted the policy would have casualties.
Treasury Minister Torsten Bell then admitted 100 schools ‘could close over three years’.
The government originally estimated as few as three per cent of private school pupils would leave the sector in total – 18,000 pupils.
And while many schools in the North and the Midlands have been forced to shut their doors, 19 – nearly one in five – of the closures have come in London and the surrounding area.
Wycliffe College, a fee–paying, co–educational day and boarding school located around 25 miles away in Stonehouse, has already offered its support to Rendcomb students and families who will require school places from September.
Headmaster, Christian San José, said on the school website: ‘I write, on behalf of the Wycliffe College community, to convey our deep sadness following the announcement that Rendcomb College will close at the end of the current academic year.
‘We are in close contact with the Board of Governors and Leadership Team at Rendcomb, and we will be working together to support you as you consider options and next steps for your children. Our intention is to provide you with stability, continuity, reassurance and above all kindness at what is, understandably, a difficult time.’
Meanwhile, other schools around Gloucestershire, such as St Edward’s senior school and Ashley Manor Prep School, have posted similar messages of support, encouraging parents to get in touch with their Admissions Team.
Rendcomb College is located in the village of Rendcomb, five miles north of Cirencester in Gloucestershire.
The College, which began as a boy’s school but is now co-educational, owns some 230 acres of land, including Rendcomb Park.
The parish church, St Peter’s, is also on the school site and is regarded as one of the finest remaining Norman works in Britain, dating back to the 12th century.
Rendcomb College was founded to offer a broad-ranging education to boys (as then was the case) from modest backgrounds and it was not until 1923 that fee payers were admitted.
