School in difficulties refused parents' help

PARENTS at a private school facing closure say their efforts to help market it and attract more pupils were shunned by directors more than a year ago.

St Dominic's Independent Junior School, in Hartshill, which educates three to 11-year-olds, has seen its number dwindle to just 65 youngsters. It has lost at least 20 pupils over the last year.

With fewer children to educate, there has been less income from fees, plunging the school into a financial crisis. Its fees are thought to range from £2,655 to more than £4,700 a year, depending on the age of the pupil.

St Dominic's announced yesterday it will be shutting at Christmas. All its staff are facing redundancy.

Families say they were aware of problems in recruiting pupils as far back as 18 months ago when they met with the school's directors to volunteer their skills and services for free.

Craig Doorbar, who runs a valeting company and lives in Biddulph Moor, sends his six-year-old daughter Freya to St Dominic's.

"We said we would do a website for free and would focus on marketing the school. The directors said they didn't want our help," he said.

Families received notification of the closure plans on the day many other private schools in Staffordshire were breaking up for the summer holidays.

Some parents, who had found out by chance several days earlier, had already been frantically contacting other schools to find alternative places. The exodus is likely to mean hardly any pupils return to St Dominic's in September.

Schools they've approached include St Joseph's Prep School, in Trent Vale, Newcastle-under-Lyme School, and Edenhurst Prep School, in the Westlands.

Independent schools nationwide have been facing tighter finances as the credit crunch bites and many families struggle to afford fees.

Locally, most private schools have been weathering the recession and their pupil numbers are healthy.

But financial pressures at St Dominic's appear to have been more longstanding. Annual returns filed with the Charity Commission show St Dominic's has been spending more than it has been receiving in income since 2005.

In 2007, the latest year for which accounts are publicly available, its income was £455,982 and expenditure was £487,829. Yet the school also had net assets of more than £660,000.

As a registered charity, the school's land and buildings are held in trust. The terms of this status mean it must continue to be used for educational or community purposes, even though St Dominic's is shutting.

Clifton Bradeley, a podiatrist from Leek, has a five-year-old daughter at the school.

The 44-year-old said: "It's absolutely crazy that such a wonderful school is closing. My daughter has gone from strength to strength there. The teachers were in tears when they found out it was closing."

Rachel Madden, aged 30, who runs a recruitment and training company and lives in Silverdale, sends her four-year-old daughter to St Dominic's.

She said: "I'm a single mother, who works very hard to put her child through private education. My daughter is absolutely devastated her school is shutting.

"I've enrolled her at St Joseph's now, but if we could save St Dominic's I would stay."

Parents are now fighting to keep it open and are appealing to anyone who can help to get in touch.