Furious staff at 137-year-old private school deface signs and children are left in tears after new owners tell them they are shutting down in two weeks

Published: 18:34, 5 June 2026 | Updated: 18:40, 5 June 2026 Furious staff have defaced signs at a historic private school demanding to be paid after its new owners blindsided them and told them they were shutting it down in just two weeks. Others at 137-year-old Abbotsholme School were so stunned that they were unable to carry on teaching after they were told the shock news at a surprise staff meeting. Instead they told children who turned up for afternoon lessons on Thursday that the school was closing, leaving them to call their parents in tears. Horrified parents at the Staffordshire school who now face finding new schools 'out of the blue' for their distressed children say they are 'absolutely disgusted and appalled' at how the school's new owners have acted. It has now emerged that school leaders were assured 'on the point of sale' just a few days ago at the end of May that the school's future was 'assured' only to be let down before the ink was barely dry on the deal. Parents and staff are now demanding to know why the school was sold to owners who 'clearly had no interest in continuing it as a school' when other education organisations were interested in buying it. School registrar Charlotte Gallimore said pupils now faced 'the loss of their school community with little warning' and 'questions will inevitably be asked about what due diligence was undertaken' and 'what plans existed for the school's future at the point of acquisition' and 'when concerns regarding its viability first became apparent'. 'These are questions that deserve clear and transparent answers,' she insisted. Furious staff at Abbotsholme School, in Staffordshire, and were left unable to teach after its new owners blindsided them and told them they were shutting it down in just two weeks (File image) She also confirmed that shocked staff - some of whom daubed 'Pay your Staff' on the school's entrance signs - have not been paid since April. And at Thursday's meeting when they were told the school was closing by insolvency agent Tony Costigan on behalf of the school's new owners, they were also told that they 'would not be paid for May or June either'. Instead they were astonished to be told that they 'should continue working until June 22 in order to support pupils through the final weeks of term'. It was only later that same day that devastated parents received a letter on behalf of the new owners - who are believed to have bought the school and its entire 140-acre estate for just £1million - telling them the school was shutting with almost immediate effect. It read: 'Since acquiring the school on 29 May, 2026, I have undertaken a detailed review of its financial position.  'Whilst we entered into the acquisition with intention of securing the long-term future of Abbotsholme, it has become apparent that the financial challenges facing the school are significantly greater than originally understood.' Claiming 'all available options had been explored for the future', it stated Abbotsholme would close on '22 June 2026'. One mother, Virginia Parkes, who has two daughters at the school, said one of her daughters was told by a member of staff that there was 'no PE today because the school is closing' and 'assumed he was joking'. 'She called me sobbing from the sports hall where she had been left alone to say the school was closing,' she told the Mail on Sunday. She said parents 'were utterly shocked' by the news and had 'spent the last few hours picking up the pieces'. She says her eldest daughter who is autistic and particularly adored the school after being bullied at another school is 'completely devastated' and found it 'hard to take in the news'. A source said the school's former Chinese owners Achieve Education, who closed down and sold nearby Chase Grammar School just last September, put Abbotsholme up for sale for such a low sum hoping it would continue as a school. But Ms Gallimore said today that although Achieve was approached by 'established educational organisations with experience of operating schools' it apparently instead chose to sell it to others with no education background. One of those is Abbotsholme old boy Syd Phillimore, owner of neighbouring shooting ground Eaton Hall, who has bought the school alongside insolvency practitioner Jamie Buchanan. In April, all alumni of the school received an email from the school's Executive Head Charlotte Molloy, telling them the school was for sale and that the then owner was 'particularly keen to ensure that Abbotsholme continues as a school'. On that basis they were told the school and its entire 140-acre estate was for sale for just £1million. Ms Gallimore said today that 'the acquisition was understood to be made on the basis that the school would continue to operate and that significant capital investment would be made to improve facilities and secure its future' But within hours the owners sent in Tony Costigan, who they made a Director of Abbotsholme 2026 Limited, to assess the business. Blindsided by developments, Ms Gallimore said staff, parents and pupils 'who had been reassured about the school's future' had been left 'shocked by the sudden turn of events' and there would be a huge impact 'on people at the heart of the school'. 'The speed with which events unfolded has left many within the Abbotsholme community struggling to reconcile the assurances given at the point of sale with the reality that emerged just a few days later.' She warned 'dedicated staff' now faced losing both their jobs and unpaid wages while families were left 'scrambling to secure school places at one of the most difficult points in the academic year'. Mr Phillimore and Mr Costigan were approached for comment. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. 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