UK’s first Classical Christian school faces imminent closure

A small Christian primary school in the West Midlands is in "a critical state" and could close by the end of July as a direct result of the imposition of VAT on school fees.

The King Alfred School in Dudley said it has gone down from 34 children to 18 children since the measures came into effect. One of the school’s founders, Hayley Bowen, said the new policy on VAT has “devastated our income stream”.

She added: “The situation has now become extremely urgent for us as a school. We are in a critical state financially and decisions need to be made by Monday 21st July regarding the school's future – if it can't find £170,000 by then it will close. This would be devastating and tragic if it were to come to that.