Children Protest After 135-Year-Old School Closed Without Warning
3rd November 2026
Hundreds of parents, schoolchildren and staff have staged a protest outside a private school that closed without warning at the half-term.
Leweston School, which was founded in 1891, announced that it would not reopen after the break, and said Labour’s VAT raid on private education had been partly to blame.
The decision to shut the £38,000-a-year school without notice has affected almost 600 pupils and 180 staff. One teacher who lost their job is now working behind the bar at a local pub.
The community is rallying to try to save the school, with a pledge of around £700,000 and a petition with 3,000 signatures.