Croydon girls’ school to close after 130 years over ‘financial issues’

A girls’ school that has been open for more than 130 years has made the surprise announcement that it is to close in less than two years’ time over “financial issues”.

The Old Palace of John Whitgift School is a private school in Old Palace Road, Croydon, that typically charges £20,000 per year for students to attend.

The chairman of the John Whitgift Foundation, Christopher Houlding, made the announcement yesterday afternoon confirming the school would close in 2025, with some year groups including pre-school, Reception, Years 7, 10, and 12, closing in August 2024.

Mr Houlding said: “We know how distressed everyone in our community will be by this news. Our staff, pupils and their families have together maintained this school’s finely deserved reputation for excellence in girls’ education – a reputation it has held for more than 130 years.

“We ourselves are distraught that we have been forced to take this decision after all our attempts to secure the future of Old Palace have proved not to be viable.

“The background is that the school has struggled financially for many years, and the Foundation has supported the school from its general reserves in the expectation that the financial situation would improve at some point.

“However, in recent years compounding factors such as the cost-of-living crisis, increased costs, the growth in expense for necessary capital investment projects as well as anticipated demographic changes have made the sustainability of the school beyond the short term impossible.

“There is also the broader national context, with upheaval in the independent sector at the moment leading to a number of school closures as well as forced sales or defensive mergers.

“After a great deal of consideration – including exploring options such as a potential relocation and investing in a whole new school – the very regrettable position is that the Court of the Foundation has been left with no alternative but to announce its intention to close the school in August 2025.

“All the analysis and evidence suggest that the school’s finances will only deteriorate, making the sustainability of the school beyond the short term impossible.”

The John Whitgift Foundation also owns the land that the Whitgift Centre shopping mall lies on and has been part of a failed £1billion property deal to rebuild the land for a Westfield shopping centre.

Nearly 12 years after the announcement the redevelopment has never taken place.

Pictured top: The Old Palace of John Whitgift School opened in 1889 (Picture: John Whitgift Foundation)