Parents' dismay as private school plans to close

Parents at an independent school in Worcestershire say they are dismayed following news it plans to close next month.

Nearly 200 students attending Malvern St James School are set to be left looking for a new school after the owners said financial challenges meant it could shut at the end of the summer term.

One parent told the BBC they were "devastated" at the news, while another said their daughter's chosen subjects did not fit in with other local schools.

Owner Galaxy Global initially said the "extremely difficult" decision to close the school was made after a thorough review - but later on Tuesday told the BBC a formal decision was yet to be made and a consultation was ongoing.

The school said financial issues were caused in part by the government's introduction of VAT on school fees in 2025 to pay for more state school teachers in England.

Malvern St James is made up from five schools, all of which began in the late 19th Century and were merged together over the decades since, according to its website.

Parent Jo Tolley said: "As a family we are devastated that this is closing. Where we go from here now, we don't know."

Fellow parent Hannah Wall added: "My daughter's currently year 12, her chosen courses and subjects don't fit in with any other local schools.

"Obviously the stress of now having to move with [it being] so close for having to sit exams next year, it's really upsetting for us all."

The school, which caters for three to 18 year olds as a day or boarding school, was taken over by The Galaxy Global Education Group in February 2025.

The new owners previously said they planned to continue the school's legacy and ethos but in April they announced it would be closing due to financial challenges.

Mum Zoe Upson is among a group of parents trying to find a buyer for the school with the help of a private investor.

Two bids to buy the school have been rejected so far, the group said.

Upson added: "There is absolutely no reason why Malvern St James, with the right management team in there and with the right decisions being made and the right opportunities being given to it, cannot stay open. None."

All proposals to take on the school were considered but none would give "sufficient certainty" to the school's long-term future, a spokesperson for Galaxy Global said.

Most pupils have secured places at alternative schools for September and they were working with the remaining families to finalise arrangements, they added.

"We are also working closely with examination-year students and are unaware of any pupil being required to resit examinations already taken," the spokesperson said.

They added a formal decision had yet to be made on closing Malvern St James at the end of the summer term and a thorough review of the school's position and the formal consultation process were still under way.

Once a conclusion was reached, they said there would be a formal announcement.

A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council said anyone who wanted to apply for a state-funded school place should contact them.

A spokesperson for the Department for Education denied their changes to VAT policy were connected to the number of independent schools shutting and said the end of the tax break on fees would raise £1.8bn annually from 2029-30.

"Independent schools have been closing since long before the VAT policy was announced and indeed were closing in greater numbers in some years prior to the ending of tax breaks than they are now," they said.

"Our data shows that private school pupil numbers remain firmly within historical patterns seen over the last 20 years."

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