Dorset private school that is shutting without warning cites Labour's VAT raid and says it cannot pay staff this week
Leweston School's grounds near Sherborne, Dorset. The Catholic boarding and day school, which charged up to £14,990 a term, has closed permanently, offering families no reason beyond an apology for the short notice.
Chief executive Hugh Dickinson confirmed the school cannot meet its current payroll obligations after last-minute rescue talks with potential financial backers broke down. The 577-pupil school attributed its collapse to Labour's VAT raid on private school fees, the removal of business rates relief, rising employment costs, and a sustained decline in demand for boarding places.
The closure brings to 72 the number of private schools shut since Labour imposed the 20 per cent VAT charge on independent school fees.
Liberal Democrat MP Edward Morello called the closure 'a shock and a travesty', adding that employees' wages for this month remain unpaid.
Pupils preparing university applications were given no warning; replacement places have been offered 19 miles away at Clayesmore School.
