Latest news with #StHilda's
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
St Hilda's keep legacy going
The St Hilda's rugby team prepare for the South Island secondary schoolgirls final against Christchurch Girls' tomorrow. PHOTO: GERARD O'BRIEN You never know where life can take you. In the early 1990s, St Hilda's Collegiate teacher John Bradfield was looking for an assistant coach to help him out with the school's First XV when he rang the physical education department at the University of Otago to see if anyone was interested. A young woman by the name of Farah Palmer answered the call, and made the trip up to St Hilda's to lend a hand to a bunch of fresh-faced teenagers wanting to get stuck in. Palmer, who was playing for Otago at the time, went on to be one of the most recognisable faces in women's rugby, captaining the Black Ferns before being appointed to the New Zealand Rugby board. Black Ferns great Farah Palmer (front row, third from the left) with the 1996 St Hilda's First XV she helped coach while playing for Otago. PHOTOS: ST HILDA'S The national provincial women's competition is aptly named the Farah Palmer Cup after the trailblazer. It was a "happy accident" for the school — but one that remains invaluable for them today. Palmer stayed on with the team for a couple of years after Bradfield — who is now back at St Hilda's as teacher in charge of rugby — moved on, and she paved the way for future generations of rugby at the school. That opened the door for St Hilda's to produce some of the Otago Spirit's finest, including current back Sheree Hume and hooker Hannah Lithgow. Rugby has grown massively at the school across the past three decades. More players were arriving from rural areas, having already played in boys' teams, and the interest had grown with 55 girls involved in the sport — including 20 year 9s — this season. Several players Palmer helped coach now have daughters at the Dunedin school, which is gearing up for its biggest battle yet. The St Hilda's team had a hard-fought 33-27 win over Central Southland College in Invercargill last week to win the Highlanders secondary schoolgirls' final. They now head to Christchurch tomorrow to play powerhouses Christchurch Girls' in the South Island final; the winner will qualify for the top four. It is a big occasion for the team, who are coached by James O'Brien and Lucy Holmes-Crombie. Bradfield is proud of the St Hilda's girls, who have a hard-working forward pack and exciting backs, and of how far rugby has come at the school. Maybe the next Farah Palmer will be out on the pitch tomorrow.
Otago Daily Times
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
St Hilda's first with ‘Freaky Friday'
The cast of St Hilda's Collegiate School's production of Freaky Friday bust some moves during rehearsals for the musical being staged next week. PHOTO: CASS PICKERING A large cohort of St Hilda's Collegiate School students have been hard at work during the school holidays, putting the finishing touches on their musical production of Based on the novel by Mary Rodgers and the hit Disney films, the show is being performed for the first time in Dunedin and will run from next Wednesday to Friday at Mosgiel Coronation Hall. Freaky Friday follows the story of an overworked mother and her teenage daughter, played by St Hilda's students Amelia Baxter and Sylvie Harper, who magically swap bodies and have 24 hours to put things right. By spending a day in each other's shoes, the pair come to appreciate one another and strengthen their bond. Director Beth Waite said the production featured a 26-strong all-female cast, including male-presenting roles, along with a 16-strong band comprising mostly St Hilda's students, a 20-strong sets and props team, and a 10-member stage management, sound and lighting, costume, makeup and hair crew. "All up, we have about 70 students from across the school involved in bringing Freaky Friday to the stage, it has been a whole-school effort," Waite said. "We have been having a lot of fun with the weird events at the centre of the story — there are definitely a lot of high-jinks, as well as plenty of singing and dancing." The cast had worked closely with musical director Kane Welsh and choreographer Ariana Gepte to pull the "tricky" score and energetic dance sequences together and were doing a great job, she said. Alongside Baxter and Harper, principal Freaky Friday cast members include Chloe Forde, Evie Bennison, Yana Dewey, Olivia Harwood, Alex Barkman, Meisha Smith and Sophie Wagner. "Putting the show together has been a major effort for everyone, so it will be exciting to finally bring it to the stage next week," Waite said. St Hilda's production of Freaky Friday will be staged at Mosgiel Coronation Hall from Wednesday to Friday, at 7pm. Tickets via humanitix
Telegraph
04-03-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Private schools forced to close blame Labour's VAT raid
A dozen private schools have blamed the Government's VAT raid for forcing them to close since the policy was first touted. Twelve schools have directly linked their closures or planned closures to Labour's tax raid, while scores more have shuttered since the policy was first seriously discussed by the party. The policy came into force on Jan 1, and made private school fees subject to 20 per cent VAT for the first time. According to Department for Education statistics, 77 private schools and independent specialist schools in England have shut down since it was revealed in October 2023 that Labour would apply VAT to fees within its first year of power. Four schools have pointed the finger at the levy for forcing them to close down so far, while a further eight have announced plans to shut in the coming months and blamed VAT. St Joseph's Preparatory School, in Stoke on Trent, closed in December, on the eve of the VAT's introduction. The school said the 'incredibly difficult' decision was made ahead of the 'changes coming regarding independent school funding'. Roisin Maguire, who was head teacher at the Catholic school for 12 years, said the school was forced to close because parents 'simply could not manage an extra 20 per cent' on fees and warned that further school closures would follow. Two Scottish schools have also accused the tax raid of causing them to buckle, including Cedars School in Greenock, which closed at the end of September. It described the VAT raid as the 'straw that broke the camel's back'. Kilgraston School in Perthshire, Scotland's only Catholic boarding school, also said it would close last August. In a letter to parents, it claimed the VAT policy would exacerbate its falling pupil roll and hammer the school's finances, which had already racked up a £860,000 shortfall in the last academic year. Other private schools that have already shuttered and blamed the tax raid include Alton School in Hampshire and Downham Preparatory School in Norfolk. Both of these closed before the general election last July, but their head teachers claimed they would not be able to subsidise VAT on fees under an incoming Labour government, making them unaffordable for parents. Alton School said 'adverse political and economic factors' had drained pupil numbers and left it 'unviable' to run, while Downham Prep claimed the prospect of VAT on fees was the 'nail in the coffin' since it was already 'borrowing money, so we couldn't absorb any of that'. A further eight have announced plans to shutter at the end of the school year and pointed the finger at VAT. They include St Hilda's Prep School for Girls in Hertfordshire, which announced last week it is consulting over a planned closure as early as this summer. The school counts former home secretary Suella Braverman among its alumni. In a letter to parents, St Hilda's said the financial difficulties facing the school were 'substantial' and warned it was currently operating at a significant loss. It added: 'Coupled with falling pupil numbers, the school is also facing significant financial challenges, including the implementation of VAT on school fees from January 2025, the increase in employer National Insurance contributions and the removal of 80 per cent business rates relief from April 2025.' Other schools have announced their closures since Labour first firmly committed to introducing VAT on fees, although they have not linked the decisions directly to the tax policy. Most of the schools that have collapsed to date had amassed serious financial losses or suffered from dwindling pupil rolls over the past years, making them vulnerable to political changes. The Government has insisted that around 50 mainstream private schools in England shut in a typical year, alongside smaller specialist schools and others across the UK. However, the sector has warned that a fresh wave of schools is expected to close when the Government strips charitable private schools in England of their business rates relief next month. This will force them to pay full business rates on buildings for the first time. Experts have suggested that smaller private schools will be most at risk compared with larger and more historic institutions such as Eton College, where parents can more readily afford fee rises and which usually have bigger reserves. Treasury estimates suggest the raid will lead to 37,000 fewer private school pupils in the long term – a fall of around 6 per cent, many of whom will face a scramble for state school places. On Monday, a Labour MP called on the Government to consider reversing the policy if the economy grows. Rupa Huq, the MP for Ealing Central and Acton, warned that the private school sector was not 'one size fits all' and that the VAT levy would 'make an elitist system more elitist'. 'The Government says in their response [that] ending tax breaks to private schools was a tough but necessary decision. I mean, could there be when this growth comes… a way of undoing it or something?' she said. 'What I would suggest is possibly doing it on a turnover basis – so for your enormous schools that can afford it, yes – but for the smaller ones who have been caught in this trap, no,' she told a House of Commons debate on the topic.' The Government is currently facing legal action over its flagship education policy after the Independent Schools Council (ISC) launched a High Court challenge. The lobby group, which represents more than 1,400 private schools, has argued that the VAT raid undermines the human rights of some children, with a judicial review hearing set to take place from April 1 to 3. Julie Robinson, chief executive of the ISC, said earlier this year that the impact of the Government's VAT policy would increase 'over the coming months and years'. 'It is true that a small number of schools close every year. But it is equally true that the Government's triple tax whammy on independent schools will prove a bridge too far for schools already under financial pressure,' she said. Neil O'Brien, the shadow schools minister, warned that 'it will be parents, pupils, and teachers in the state sector that will pay the price for Labour's ideological attack'. 'Once again, we can see the deeply damaging impacts of Labour's education tax,' he said. 'Every independent school that is forced to close by this punitive measure represents more pupils that will need to be found places in state schools, many of which will struggle to accommodate them. Fewer parents will get their first choice of state school as a result. 'There are 130,000 children with special needs being educated in the independent sector at present, and if thousands of them are taxed into the state sector that will put a lot of pressure on special needs provision in the state sector. 'At the end of the day, it will be parents, pupils, and teachers in the state sector that will pay the price for Labour's ideological attack.' A government spokesman said: 'Ending tax breaks for private schools will raise £1.8 billion a year by 2029-30 to help fund public services, including supporting the 94 per cent of children in state schools to achieve and thrive. 'On average, around 50 mainstream private schools typically close each year. This is due to a range of reasons, including financial struggles and school standards issues. 'Local authorities and schools commonly support children and parents in these circumstances, we are confident in local state schools' ability to accommodate new pupils.'
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Suella Braverman's private school faces closure under Labour tax raid
A private school that counts Suella Braverman among its past pupils faces closure because of Labour's VAT raid on fees. St Hilda's Prep School for Girls in Bushey, Hertfordshire, has said it is consulting on a possible closure as early as this summer due to the levy, described as a tax on 'aspiration'. The £17,000-a-year school said it expected to produce a six-figure loss this year in the face of the introduction of a 20pc rate of VAT on fees, as well as the loss of 80pc business rates relief and an increase in National Insurance contributions from April. The school, once described by the Good Schools Guide as 'a buzzing, nurturing school punching well above its weight', is the second prep school in the area to face the threat of closure. In December, Immanuel College, a Jewish prep school, also announced it was consulting on closure in part because of the financial pressures brought about by Labour tax rises. Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, who attended the all-girls' school, said: 'I was lucky enough to spend a few years at St Hilda's school in the late 1980s. 'Many aspirational and hard-working parents sent their children to this excellent school. 'Labour's plans will just force another good school to close, placing unsustainable pressure on state schools and harming the education of every child.' Former deputy prime minister and local MP for Hertsmere Oliver Dowden said he was 'extremely concerned' to hear St Hilda's may close, describing the Government's VAT levy as 'a tax on aspiration and another Labour attack on the Home Counties'. 'This is the second casualty of Labour's schools tax in Bushey alone. With places already in exceptionally short supply, this deeply misguided policy only succeeds in delivering anxiety for families and unsustainable pressure on local state schools. 'I will be in touch with parents to see how I can support them and intend to raise this case urgently in Parliament.' It comes after The Royal School, a 185-year-old day and boarding school in Surrey, announced its closure on Friday. HRH The Princess Royal has served as the school's president since 1975, after she took over from her uncle Lord Mountbatten of Burma. In a letter to parents, seen by The Telegraph, St Hilda's said: 'It is with great regret that we must let you know we now have to consider the ongoing viability of the school. 'The financial difficulties facing St Hilda's are substantial and the school is currently operating at a significant loss with the estimated loss for this financial year being £165,000 and the estimated loss for the next financial year being £235,000, before any consideration of salary increases. This is clearly not sustainable.' It added: 'Coupled with falling pupil numbers, the school is also facing significant financial challenges, including the implementation of VAT on school fees from January 2025, the increase in employer National Insurance contributions and the removal of 80pc business rates relief from April 2025.' It said the school had struggled to attract new pupils and said, while its co-ed nursery is operating closer to capacity with 40 children out of a capacity of 50, the number of girls on the school roll was expected to fall below 100 next year despite having space for 140. Parents have reacted with anger about the lack of consultation. One parent said they felt 'blindsided' and described a meeting held earlier this week between parents and the Aldenham Foundation, which oversees St Hilda's, as 'chaotic'. They said: 'We had a meeting on Tuesday described as an opportunity to ask questions and it became increasingly clear, despite what was written in the letter, they were not considering options and it feels as if the decision has already been made. 'The problem is they have told us so late in the day that we have missed the state school admissions application process. If they knew the school was in trouble, why did they not tell us sooner?' St Hilda's is the latest in a spate of girls schools to announce their closure. Last month The Village School for Girls in Sir Keir Starmer's constituency of Holborn and St Pancras announced it would close in the summer. Many others have moved to become co-ed schools in a bid to stay financially viable. Parents at St Hilda's questioned why the school was not exploring a similar option given its nursery is co-ed. One parent said: 'The school has said there is a downward trend in pupil numbers and meanwhile we have a nursery that is mixed, so boys are actually leaving when they want to stay. 'It is the single biggest way to save the school because that's what other schools in the area have done.' Another added: 'The nursery loses 10 to 15 boys a year who would love to have stayed.' However, others claimed the Aldenham Foundation, which acquired St Hilda's in 2012, would not want to make the school co-ed because it would put it in direct competition with Aldenham Prep School, which parents accused the Foundation of prioritising. While St Hilda's risks closure, the foundation recently opened a new branch of Aldenham Prep School in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and plans to open a senior school there next year. One parent said: 'We feel as if their priorities are elsewhere.' A Treasury spokesman said: 'Ending tax breaks for private schools will raise £1.8bn a year by 2029-30 to help deliver 6,500 new teachers and raise school standards, supporting the 94pc of children in state schools to achieve and thrive.' Aldenham Foundation was approached for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
01-03-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Suella Braverman's old private school faces closure under Labour tax raid
A private school that counts Suella Braverman amongst its past pupils faces closure because of Labour's VAT raid on fees. St Hilda's Prep School for Girls in Bushey, Hertfordshire, has said it is consulting on a possible closure as early as this summer due to the levy, described as a tax on 'aspiration'. The £17,000-a-year school said it expected to produce a six-figure loss this year in the face of the introduction of a 20pc rate of VAT on fees, as well as the loss of 80pc business rates relief and an increase in National Insurance contributions from April. The school, once described by the Good Schools Guide as 'a buzzing, nurturing school punching well above its weight', is the second prep school in the area to face the threat of closure. In December, Immanuel College Prep School also announced it was consulting on closure in part because of the financial pressures brought about by Labour tax rises. Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, who attended the all-girls' school, said: 'I was lucky enough to spend a few years at St Hilda's school in the late 1980s. 'Many aspirational and hard-working parents sent their children to this excellent school. 'Labour's plans will just force another good school to close, placing unsustainable pressure on state schools and harming the education of every child.' Oliver Dowden, former deputy prime minister and local MP for Hertsmere, said he was 'extremely concerned' to hear St Hilda's may close, describing the Government's VAT levy as 'a tax on aspiration and another Labour attack on the Home Counties'. 'This is the second casualty of Labour's schools tax in Bushey alone. With places already in exceptionally short supply, this deeply misguided policy only succeeds in delivering anxiety for families and unsustainable pressure on local state schools. 'I will be in touch with parents to see how I can support them and intend to raise this case urgently in Parliament.' It comes after The Royal School, a 185-year-old day and boarding school in Surrey, announced its closure on Friday. HRH The Princess Royal has served as the school's president since 1975, after she took over from her uncle Lord Mountbatten of Burma. In a letter to parents, seen by The Telegraph, St Hilda's said: 'It is with great regret that we must let you know we now have to consider the ongoing viability of the school. 'The financial difficulties facing St Hilda's are substantial and the school is currently operating at a significant loss with the estimated loss for this financial year being £165,000 and the estimated loss for the next financial year being £235,000, before any consideration of salary increases. This is clearly not sustainable.' It added: 'Coupled with falling pupil numbers, the school is also facing significant financial challenges, including the implementation of VAT on school fees from January 2025, the increase in employer National Insurance contributions and the removal of 80pc business rates relief from April 2025.' It said the school had struggled to attract new pupils and said, while its co-ed nursery is operating closer to capacity with 40 children out of a capacity of 50, the number of girls on the school roll was expected to fall below 100 next year despite having space for 140. Parents have reacted with anger about the lack of consultation. One parent said they felt 'blindsided' and described a meeting held earlier this week between parents and the Aldenham Foundation, which oversees St Hilda's, as 'chaotic'. They said: 'We had a meeting on Tuesday described as an opportunity to ask questions and it became increasingly clear, despite what was written in the letter, they were not considering options and it feels as if the decision has already been made. 'The problem is they have told us so late in the day that we have missed the state school admissions application process. If they knew the school was in trouble, why did they not tell us sooner?' St Hilda's is the latest in a spate of girls' schools to announce their closure. Last month The Village School for Girls in Sir Keir Starmer's constituency of Holborn and St Pancras announced it would close in the summer. Many others have moved to become co-ed schools in a bid to stay financially viable. Parents at St Hilda's questioned why the school was not exploring a similar option given its nursery is co-ed. One parent said: 'The school has said there is a downward trend in pupil numbers and meanwhile we have a nursery that is mixed, so boys are actually leaving when they want to stay. 'It is the single biggest way to save the school because that's what other schools in the area have done.' Another added: 'The nursery loses 10 to 15 boys a year who would love to have stayed.' However, others claimed the Aldenham Foundation, which acquired St Hilda's in 2012, would not want to make the school co-ed because it would put it in direct competition with Aldenham Prep School, which parents accused the Foundation of prioritising. While St Hilda's risks closure, the foundation recently opened a new branch of Aldenham Prep School in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and plans to open a senior school there next year. One parent said: 'We feel as if their priorities are elsewhere.' A Treasury spokesman said: 'Ending tax breaks for private schools will raise £1.8bn a year by 2029-30 to help deliver 6,500 new teachers and raise school standards, supporting the 94pc of children in state schools to achieve and thrive.' Karl Mahon, bursar and clerk to the governors at Aldenham, said: 'The decision to enter into conversations about possible closure has not been taken lightly. 'The outcome remains subject to consultation with staff. The Foundation has considered carefully the option to move to co-ed however, clear advice was received from a leading expert in late 2021 and again in 2025 that over half of the existing parents would not have joined St Hilda's had it been co-ed. 'Due to its location, St Hilda's wouldn't be in competition with the Aldenham Prep School. Although parents have suggested they would pay higher fees, the school is significantly below capacity with the current fee level. Since 2011, we have invested significantly in St Hilda's, its facilities and its staff.' A prep school opened in Riyadh in 2021 and a senior school will likely follow in 2027. These entities are funded entirely by investors independent of the Foundation.
