Overview
- St Lawrence College in Ramsgate has closed with immediate effect for most of its roughly 500 pupils after it entered administration.
- About 166 employees have been made redundant, while 44 staff remain to teach Year 11 and Year 13 so students can sit GCSE, BTEC and A‑level exams.
- FRP partners Philip Watkins and Philip Armstrong have been appointed joint administrators and are guiding staff through the Redundancy Payments Service.
- The college says it is working with nearby schools and the local authority to help families secure new places for displaced pupils.
- Leaders cited falling pupil numbers, higher running costs and the new 20% VAT on private school fees, a policy the government estimated would push tens of thousands of pupils out of the independent sector.