One of the last private girls’ secondary schools in Scotland is set to close as a result of falling pupil numbers.
Craigholme School, on the south side of Glasgow, will shut its doors in August after being unable to resolve financial difficulties.
Last year, the school joined forces with Kelvinside Academy, in the city’s west end, in a bid to survive, but under a formal merger it has been decided the school has no future.
All pupils will be transferred to Kelvinside to complete their secondary education, although the fate of staff is more uncertain. Teachers may face redundancies unless new positions can be found at Kelvinside.
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The primary school at Craigholme, which accepts both boys and girls, will remain open as a feeder school for Kelvinside.
The closure comes at a difficult time for private schools with steadily falling pupil rolls across the sector following the financial crash of 2008.
Since then fees have risen by more than 30 per cent, with the average annual cost to families climbing from some £11,000 to its current figure of around £15,000. Fees at Craigholme top £13,000 a year.
The closure also marks another blow for single sex education in Scotland. There will now be only eight private girls’ or boys' secondary schools left and one in the state sector compared to 13 a decade ago.
Craigholme hit the headlines in 2013 when it emerged former pupil Aqsa Mahmood had dropped out of university to join Islamic State in Syria, where she was believed to have married an ISIS fighter.
Donald Wilson, chair of the board of governors at Kelvinside Academy and Craigholme School, said the closure of the senior school would now follow the merger.
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He said: “We’ve worked hard to transform the fortunes at Craigholme since we became involved last year.
“After extensive consultation with the boards of both schools, it is clear a merger with Kelvinside Academy is the best possible option for Craigholme senior school. Both the nursery and junior school at Craigholme will remain open and will be unaffected.
“As part of this process, all Craigholme senior school pupils will be guaranteed a place at Kelvinside Academy.We look forward to welcoming them to our west end campus in August this year, and we will do everything we can to make their transition as easy as possible.”
Mr Wilson confirmed pupil numbers at Craigholme had dropped significantly in recent years, while the impending impact of the Barclay Review, which will see removal of business rates relief, and other financial pressures, presented significant challenges to all independent schools in Scotland.
It has not yet been decided whether the facilities and land owned by the school will be sold off or retained for use by Kelvinside.
Craigholme was founded in 1894 by Jessie Murdoch as Pollokshields Ladies’ School. The school had forty pupils on the roll and was housed at Dalziel Drive in a villa named Craigholme.
The school’s name was changed after the First World War to Craigholme School. Recent expansion has included a £2 million PE facility on the school’s playing fields at Pollok Park.
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In recent years pupil rolls have fallen. In 2008/09 there were nearly 500 pupils at the school, but this fell to 359 in 2012/13 and 269 in 2016/17 and 223 this year.
Earlier this month, financial experts warned the independent sector in Edinburgh was facing a stark future with the financial security of many schools under threat.
The report blamed the impact of the partial removal of business rates relief, rising teachers’ pay and spiralling pensions contributions.
The report, by Edinburgh-based independent economic consultancy BiGGAR Economics, said the financial implications are severe with a £9m increase in costs for all schools, which it calculates would result in a hike in fees of seven per cent - or £900 per pupil on average.
Beaconhurst private school in Bridge of Allan closed last year after running into financial difficulties.
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