Warminster international school closes suddenly

A private school just outside Warminster has closed without warning after its operating company went into administration.

Bishopstrow College, an international boarding school offering English language programmes for students aged 7 to 17, has ceased operating, according to a statement on the school’s website.

The school was run by Inspiring Futures Education (IFE), which also operated Padworth College near Reading, which has also closed.

One of the reasons given for the closures was the introduction of VAT on independent school fees, a move that has drawn strong criticism from local MP Andrew Murrison.

The MP has reacted furiously to the sudden closure of the foreign languages college, saying the government’s 20% VAT imposition on education made it unviable.

He said, “I’m appalled. This is what Labour does. Its spiteful, ideological tax has shut down a major local employer and source of taxable foreign earnings. Shameful.

“Bishopstrow College has taught English to hundreds of foreign students, many of whom then enter UK educational establishments at all levels and then return home well-inclined to this country. That will no longer happen. You have to wonder what Keir Starmer has against our area and the country more generally.”

Inspiring Futures Education has been approached for comment.

Picture Credit: Bishopstrow School