St Bede's to rescue after Brooklands School closure
Fifty-six pupils who faced being out of education within days after the shock closure of their independent school have been handed an 11th hour reprieve, it emerged today.
Brooklands School will close tomorrow after 67 years as it is no longer financially viable amid dwindling pupil numbers. Today it can be revealed nearby St Bede's School at Bishton Hall has stepped in to offer all 56 remaining pupils at Brooklands places from Monday.
The Eccleshall Road preparatory school, which has been in Stafford since 1946, told parents of its bleak future on Tuesday.
Today, chairman of the school's governing board, Chris Lewis, said St Bede's had offered places to all Brooklands children.
The 21 staff at Brooklands will be made redundant as a result of the closure as the school is placed in the hands of administrators.
Mr Lewis blamed the fall of Brooklands on the prolonged recession which hit parents' ability to pay and led to the drop in pupil numbers.
"It's absolutely tragic that a school that has been here since 1946 is closing on Friday," said Mr Lewis. "The four-and-half year recession has meant it has been a difficult time for people paying for private education.
"There are also other providers in the area giving this type of education to an equally excellent standard.
"At a recent meeting, parents were informed of the possibility of closure but, as a consequence of the declared parental support at that meeting, the governors secured the support of the bank and had hoped the school would operate until Christmas.
"Regrettably, numbers dwindled as a result of the announcement and the situation has now become untenable.
"The news has caused an awful lot of upset here, because everybody has a lot of respect for the school and its teaching staff."
Headteacher Stephanie Keenan held back tears as she said she was 'proud to have been headteacher at such a wonderful school'.
"I am truly saddened," said Mrs Keenan, who has been headteacher at the school since 2011. "My concerns are now entirely with the children, families and staff.
"I want to ensure the children are cared for and have wonderful memories from the school to take away with them.
"The parents and staff at this school are an exceptional group of people. The support from them has been overwhelming."
