𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

One of the oldest schools in the country is to close after 1,400 years, blaming Labour’s VAT charge on private school fees. Thetford Grammar School in Norfolk traces its origins back to the court of King Sigbert of the East Angles in the 7th century.

Parents at the independent day and boarding school, where fees range from £4,000 to almost £7,000, were told about the closure in a letter from chair, Jay Liu, on Monday (April 27). He announced with a “heavy heart” that the imposition of VAT on school fees, removal of business rates relief, increased staff costs, minimum wage rises and soaring utility bills placed “unsustainable” pressure on many independent schools.

Mr Liu said after a “careful” review, the school’s board decided the financial strain meant Thetford Grammar was no longer viable to carry on independently.

He added: “This has been an extremely difficult decision. Throughout this process the overriding priority has been the continued education wellbeing and future opportunities of our pupils.

“With that in mind we have worked proactively to identify the strongest possible onward pathway for our families.”

The chairman said in the letter, reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, that Thetford Grammar would look to merge with a school in Stowmarket, which is some 22 miles away.

More than 100 independent schools have closed since Labour imposed VAT on private school fees.

A Labour manifesto commitment, the removal of the previous VAT exemption on private schools was aimed at raising revenue for the Treasury.

Private schools in England with charitable status from April 2025 also lost the 80% relief on business rates they previously benefited from.

Julie Robinson, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council, said previously that the VAT policy was a “bridge too far” for many schools. She warned in January that more closures would come as the impact of VAT and other tax measures mount up.

Among Thetford Grammar School’s former pupils is radical thinker Thomas Paine, who is believed to have been a pupil between 1744 and 1749.

The school has been owned by China Financial Services Holdings, a company listed in Hong Kong, since 2017. It operates a nursery in Changsha, China, and says its pupils regularly achieve top grades at GCSE and A-Level.

Thetford Grammar School has been approached for comment.