Ursuline Prep School in Coventry Road has begun consultation to close due to “economic pressures”, leaving many parents feeling shocked and disheartened.
The school sent out a letter to parents dated February 26, which many said came as a shock as there had been no prior communication regarding a closure.
Several parents spoke to the Recorder about the situation, but all wished to remain anonymous.
One parent who has children in reception and year 5,said: “It has come out of the blue.
“It’s not shocking that numbers have dropped but it is shocking at how this has been handled.
“We never knew that the school was even subject to a closure – the communication was poorly managed.
“I was driving when my husband called me to tell me, and I had to stop the car just to digest that this letter had gone out.
“I am angry with how it’s been dealt with and I want the school to survive.”
They also said that Ursuline is a “fantastic school” and their children “love” attending.
They also said they were “gobsmacked” to read the letter from the chair of trustees, Simon Bird.
“It felt as though a rug had been pulled from underneath us – it is a massive blow,” they added.
“We knew things weren’t great, but we didn’t expect this.
“It feels as though there was no thought towards the parent community.
“We’re astounded and angered at the lack of respect shown towards us.”
Parents have launched an online petition to save the school from closure and have gained over 250 signatures since March 6.
Another parent claimed governors have “poorly managed” the communication and “should be held accountable for the lack of transparency and poor communication on the matter”.
Another parent, whose child is in ‘early years’, said: “I think Ursuline is a great school and their moral values are great – this is exemplified in the lives of our children.
“It was such a shock to hear that the school is subject to close – we were given no prior notice – it felt as though we were kept in the dark.”
Another couple of disheartened parents explained that the school should have turned to them for help.
The parent of a child in ‘early years’ said: “I felt that before it needed to get to this stage, we could have helped – a lot of us are professionals from varying industries.
“We could have given free consultation and advice on what they could be doing with the resources available.
“It felt as though going straight to closure was rather extreme.”
Another parent agreed, adding: “What’s disappointing is the lack of communication – had they communicated things earlier in the year or even told us they were in financial difficulty then we could have rallied together to help.”
One parent said: “We are already witnessing the difficult decisions being made by students and parents to leave the school – an unfortunate but intended consequence of the letter received.
“As parents, staff, and students, it is deeply saddening to see the Ursuline family community begin to disperse to other schools.
“The strength of our community has always been its unity, and it is difficult to part ways.”
A spokesperson for the Ursuline Prep School said: “Sadly, the position we find ourselves in has been determined by factors outside of our control, such as rising maintenance costs and changes to taxes on schools.
“Indeed, the decrease in the local birth rate means we have seen lower demand for places for some years now.
“We explored a number of options comprehensively before we came to this difficult decision, and we know this has been upsetting for our community – we have given our families as much notice as possible and we are working hard to find alternative arrangements for our pupils, who remain our absolute priority.”
