School faces closure due to dwindling pupil numbers

The private school on Broom Road, which charges almost £2,500 per term, issued an official statement yesterday (5) after informing both staff and parents of the possible closure on July 9.

Rudston operates both a nursery and primary school educating children from the ages of three to 11 and has occupied its current site since 1948.

In its most recent school inspection, in October 2013, it was given a glowing report achieving an excellent score in 6 out of 8 categories, the other 2 categories being assessed as good but dwindling pupil numbers have been blamed for its current difficulties.

A spokesman for the school said: "This is a very sad day for the school, for Rotherham and for independent education in South Yorkshire.

“We are making this announcement today, should the closure happen, to allow parents and staff the opportunity to make alternative arrangements before the start of the next school year.

“Clearly we would like to keep the school operating at Rudston but this is looking increasingly difficult.

“We have asked Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council to consider providing assistance and we are still in the process of discussion.”