Our Lady’s Abingdon (OLA), a private school near Abingdon town centre that has served the community for more than 160 years, has closed with immediate effect after governors said they had “exhausted every possible option to secure the school’s future.”

Students were warned at the end of term that the school might not be there after the holidays and that they might need to start looking elsewhere, but many still hoped it would survive. Two sixth formers I spoke to believed closure might come within the next three to five years — not so suddenly.

Both said they had enjoyed a wonderful education at OLA and, thanks to scholarships and bursaries, had been able to attend a school that would otherwise have been beyond their reach. They were expecting their A Level results in three days and expressed sympathy for fellow students and staff whose futures are now uncertain.

They estimated that around 20% of the sixth form came from Abingdon, with an even higher proportion in the lower years, meaning the closure will likely put additional pressure on local state schools.

In a statement, the governors said:

“It is with our deepest regret that we inform our parents, students, staff, and local community that the Governors have taken the heartbreaking decision to close the school with immediate effect… The spirit of this community, and the values it upholds, will endure long after our doors close.”

The statement said falling pupil numbers and rising costs linked to VAT on school fees, higher National Insurance contributions, the end of business rates relief for independent schools, and general inflation as key factors in the decision.