St Edward's quashes rumours of closure

"St Edward's College will not close down," a spokesman for the college administration told The Times yesterday in reaction to persistent rumours of plans to shut down the whole school.

Earlier this year the college announced it would be phasing out its sixth form.

The college's development manager, David Darmanin, yesterday said the college was actually planning to invest new funds in the middle and senior school as from next year.

The college is expected to save some Lm100,000 with the closure of the sixth form, all of which will be reinvested in the school, Mr Darmanin said.

According to a staff redundancy plan put in place after the decision to close the sixth form was taken, which incorporated teachers in the middle and senior school as well as the sixth form, four teachers would be made redundant by the end of the process.

In February, the school board decided that the small sixth form, (with around 70 students in all) was to be phased out, mainly because it was becoming a huge financial burden on the whole institution.

As a result, no newcomers will be admitted in October. The sixth form will be closed down after the last group of students sit their 'A' level examinations next May.