By John Baron
A senior body in the Moravian church has pledged to ‘protect’ the future of the historic Fulneck School building after this school announced its shock closure earlier this week.
The independent day and boarding school is due to close on 8 July due to falling pupil numbers and rising costs, but members of the Moravian Church which owns the school say they remain committed to maintaining the building.
A statement on social media by Fulneck Church said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the announcement of the proposed closure of Fulneck School.
“Following a meeting today with the Church Committee, members of the Provincial Board appear committed to ensuring that the appearance. upkeep of and the heart and values of Fulneck settlement continue undiminished and ‘protected’, notwithstanding what the future holds for the school buildings beyond July.
“This includes plans for an appropriate security service presence to ensure the vacant buildings are suitably protected against vandalism.
“There is also an assurance that any future use of the school buildings will be fully compatible with the nature of the settlement and the ethos of the Moravian Church.”
The church, in the centre of the Moravian settlement, is unaffected by the proposed school closure.
Closure raised in Lords
Tory peer Lord Caine has spoken of his sadness over Fulneck School’s closure in the House of Lords.
Speaking in a debate on Wednesday afternoon, he reminded the House that the school had been established in 1753, during the reign of King George II, but will now shut its doors for the final time in July.
“Fulneck, for those who do not know, is famous for educating, among others, the great Liberal Prime Minister Herbert Asquith and the late great Dame Diana Rigg—otherwise known to some as Mrs Peel—along with a very close friend of mine, who was absolutely devastated to hear the news this morning,” he said.
“Fulneck is part of a Moravian settlement in Pudsey, which includes a grade 1 listed church and many other listed buildings. It is a unique part of the heritage of Leeds and the broader West Riding of Yorkshire, a large part of which will now be lost forever.”
The Conservative peer, who was born in Leeds and continues to live in the city, said he would not argue that the imposition of VAT was the only reason for the closure of the school.
He continued: “The school’s own statement refers to problems of falling numbers in recent years.
“However, the statement points to significantly rising administrative costs. Surely the broader point here is that, for a large number of small, independent schools across the country that have been struggling to keep their heads above water in recent years, the imposition of VAT and increases in employer national insurance are policies that will sink them.”
The Conservative peer added: “As a result of the closure, 300 or so students will now have to be educated elsewhere within the locality; most, presumably, will have to find places within the state sector. I note that the school lies within the parliamentary constituency of Leeds West and Pudsey, which is represented by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.”
‘Huge blow to Fulneck family’
Pudsey independent councillor Trish Smith described the closure as a ‘huge blow to the Fulneck family’.
She said: “For many years now I’ve suggested to senior officers at Leeds City Council that we should consider using facilities such as this, particularly for SEND students. I’ve again emailed the senior team asking them to at least investigate the potential of this facility.
“Whilst I have absolutely no guarantee that anything will come of this, I can confirm it is at least being looked at as a possibility – let’s hope common sense prevails!”
The independent school already has a good reputation for the quality of its SEND support.
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