Overview
- The school announced its immediate closure in a letter to parents on Tuesday, leaving Leweston not to reopen after the October half-term.
- Every pupil has been offered a place at an Inspired Learning Group school from Monday 2 November, with Clayesmore and Sunninghill Prep named as transfer options.
- Concept Education’s chief executive, Hugh Dickinson, wrote that attempts to secure last-minute financial support failed and that the shortfall made it impossible to pay staff this week.
- Local families and an MP reported staff had not been paid and criticised the very short notice, saying some students were in the middle of university applications when the closure was announced.
- The operator blamed long-term and sector-wide pressures — falling boarding demand, VAT on fees, loss of business-rates relief and rising employment costs — after Leweston moved under Concept Education and the Catholic Schools’ Trust in late 2025.