Family run private school shuts after Labour tax raid
The directors of Woodcote House School in Windlesham, Surrey, said its demise was 'inevitable' owing to the imposition of VAT on school fees and burden of increased National Insurance.
The all-boys prep school, which counts Supertramp's Roger Hodgson among its alumni, had been run by the Paterson family since 1931, though the site has been a boarding school since 1854.
Oliver Paterson, the headmaster, is the fifth generation of the family to lead the school.
Delivering the 'very sad news' in a letter to pupils, parents and old boys, the school said its reserves had been 'bled dry' but vowed not to go out with a whimper.
Directors Nick, David and Rowan Paterson wrote: 'The school has overcome several challenges over the years, but the cruel combination of buffeting headwinds we are facing now has worn us down to a situation where the school is no longer sustainable.
'Pupil numbers have been on the slide for a while, showing an even steeper decline in the current financial climate, and sadly the take-up for the pre-prep has not been sufficient to make it feasible.'
It comes after figures last month revealed private school pupil numbers had tumbled by more than 11,000 in England following Labour's VAT raid on fees – four times more than government forecasts.
The directors said the imposition of VAT on school fees, while not affecting Woodcote House's finances directly, had 'alarmed several families and contributed to a sharp fall in interest for September'.
The school also cited an exponential rise in the regulatory demands imposed on its old building, the burden of increased National Insurance contributions and plummeting birthrate in the UK.
'The school's reserves – never healthy as historically any profit has been ploughed back into the school – have been bled dry,' the directors said, adding: 'We certainly don't intend to creep our way shamefaced towards early July, and all the usual summer highlights – speech day, chapel, cricket teas, concerts, drama, leavers' trips, and so on – will be very much on the agenda.'
The directors thanked parents past and present for their 'enormous confidence and commitment' over the years for which the Paterson family would be 'forever grateful'.
'We hope very much that you and your children will look back on your association with us with warmth and affection,' the directors signed off.
Roger Hodgson, the renowned co-founder of British rock band Supertramp, is said to have first picked up the guitar and formed his debut band, H-bombs, with a classmate at the school.
In an interview with the Edmonton Journal, he recalled being given his first guitar by his father to soften the blow of his parents' divorce and took the instrument with him to boarding school.
'Whenever I'd get the chance, I would play my guitar or the piano,' he said, adding: 'After 10 minutes I was gone and lost in the music. And that's when a lot of magic happened.'
George Oliver, who said he attended aged seven from September 1988, wrote on Facebook: 'By providing a nurturing educational environment, it crafted generations of well rounded, respectful young boys, gently installing confidence in each and every one to go out and make the most of life.
'What an amazing educational product the Paterson family have provided over the generations.
'Thank you for your remarkable approach and commitment to schooling, you should be so proud, a fact that can be verified by each and every old boy portrait that adorns the hallowed walls.'
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