Pulbrough private school to close after numbers drop
A third private school in the Midhurst and Petworth area is to close, blaming a drop in pupil numbers.
Arundale, a prep school at Pulborough, will shut at the end of the academic year next July.
Its demise, after 56 years, follows the same path as Wispers School at Haslemere, which closed in 2008, and St Margaret's convent junior school at Midhurst, whose last pupils left at the end of this year's summer term.
A statement from Arundale said despite best efforts to reverse a decline in the number of new pupils, it had become apparent to the governors it was an impossible task. Currently it has 70 pupils. The school takes two to 11-year-olds. Its fees range from 1,910 per term for nursery children to 3,170 for the senior pupils.
During its half century, Arundale has established a reputation as a successful school producing scholarship-winning pupils. It is ranked 31 in the top 250 prep schools in the Sunday Times Parent Power League Table.
The school statement said the closure announcement, nine months in advance, would give parents time to choose new schools for their children.
Arundale staff have given a commitment to stay on until the shutdown.
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Wednesday 30 May 2012
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