The impending closure of the St Lawrence College site in Ramsgate following news of a merger with Dover College has prompted a student protest today (February 25) with parents set to demonstrate this Friday.
Yesterday (February 24) The Isle of Thanet News revealed the college is set to shut Ramsgate operations at the end of the school year to open on the Dover College site in September.
The co-educational day and boarding school for youngsters aged three to 18 has been a fixture in Thanet since 1879.
A letter to parents said the decision had been taken to merge the two schools on the Dover College site ”to form a single, vibrant HMC school: ‘St Lawrence Dover College’.”
The merged school will be under the umbrella of the Repton Family of Schools, which currently educates over 10,000 pupils globally.
Today students gathered to voice their upset at news they will have to move to Dover for their education if they wish to stay with the college.
On Friday parents will gather outside the main school building at 3.30pm. A call for action says: “We must not stand aside and let out children’s educations, our institution and most importantly our community be destroyed.
“What makes St Lawrence College special is the strength of feeling we all share and we must stand together. We will show solidarity for the staff, for the students, for the history of the school that has endured.”
According to Charity Commission filings (up to August 2024) senior school pupil numbers averaged 391 over the course of the year, while junior school average pupil numbers also remained steady compared to the previous year, at 155.
Despite having to deal with rising costs, the government introduction of 20% VAT on private school fees from January 2025;, the removal of charitable business rates relief from April 2025 and increased National Insurance contributions, the school says pupil numbers have improved even though it is “still not back to pre-COVID highs.”
The college deficit for the year ended 31st August 2024 was £1,327,353 (2023: deficit of £1,294,213).
The deficit includes non-cash depreciation charges of £984,358 (2023: (2023: £975,687).
Accounts say that although cash at bank did fall in the year, this was as a result of the decision to spend £439k on new fixed assets, notably the completion of the lower school development and solar panels.
The College’s trading subsidiary, St Lawrence College Enterprises, generated a contribution of £32,336 for the year ended 31st August 2024 (2023: £5,058) which was donated to the College.
The college has around 200 staff. It is not clear how many of these will transfer to Dover.
Development
A fact sheet for parents reveals the St Lawrence College site has been earmarked for development.
It says: “Future proceeds from the development of St Lawrence College will be invested in the facilities and wider infrastructure of St Lawrence Dover College, which will set it apart from other independent schools both locally and across the South East.”
Development of 166 houses was previously approved on part of the former school grounds off College Road in 2017.
In 2018 St Lawrence College opened a new £6 million science, art and design technology centre, at the heart of the main senior school campus.
In 2024, the school carried out phase 2 of a £1.2m investment project to transform the Hamblen Block into a new nursery and Pre-Prep home with new classrooms and secure play areas.
The Junior School started the 2023-24 academic year having completed Phase 1 of the project, introducing five state-of-the-art classrooms and Learning Resource Centre, the Attenborough Attic.
However, last year staff at the college were informed of proposals to make 20+ redundancies at the school.
Many parents are now asking when the merger decision was first proposed and why there was no parent consultation prior to yesterday’s announcement. They are also questioning whether the move to the smaller Dover College site is prompted by the development value of the land in Ramsgate.
Community
The college grounds and facilities are also used by a large number of groups and schools in the community. These include the Police Panto who use the Taylor Hall Theatre at the college’ Cliftonville Hockey Club which uses the sport grounds, Canterbury Hockey Club and Thanet Wanderers Rugby Club, community football clubs, including Ramsgate Youth Football Club, East Kent Football Club, Miles Over the Barr and Broadstairs Town Football Club.
Thanet Netball League. Thanet Roadrunners, Alpha Netball and Sandwich Town Cricket Club also use facilities. The college also hosts theatre and dance schools, four swim schools, a junior rugby club, Yoga and Pilates, and a dive club on the site.
St Lawrence College has been approached for further comment.
A fundraiser has been set up to help pay for a legal challenge to the decision. Find it here
I am seriously hoping they dont turn the whole site into housing, such a grand old building, and i live very local and cant imagine it will help with the traffic situation
This is one of the few local subjects that I have no strong opinion on.
The college deficit for the year ended 31st August 2024 was £1,327,353. The deficit includes non-cash depreciation charges of £984,358 (2023). Mon dieu Rodders!
just smother the playing fields with houses, make more millions for the developers , its the same all over thanet its one huge mass of new houses , and sod he infrastructure or actualy the lack of it
Good luck to those protesting the move. Was there any consultation first?
I hope it’s not sold off to the developers for even more unnecessary houses. There is a great influx of people moving to the area to fill those houses already built. But there has been no attempt to increase the infrastructure, doctors, hospital, water reservoir, etc, etc.
Parents don’t actually think schools consult parents as to what’s happening with their children 🤣🤣🤣 don’t be so stupid!
Yet these schools are quick to unleash rules and regulations to parents regarding their children.
What do they need to consult you on?
They could make a new Wetherspoons,even bigger than the current one, which is the biggest ever. Imagine that, a Wetherspoons that big!!!
Not to mention that a lot of these pupils will be taken out of private sector education and will place an even greater strain on state schools’ resources.
A protest will definitely make them change their minds about loosing all of that money every year 🤣🤣🤣
I’ve been monitoring this since I heard through social media a couple of days ago. I was privileged to go to the school 50 years ago and having read various statements and articles from other past pupils, initially I was upset but it appears the College has been losing money for a number of years but instead of tightening their belts and trying to lessen the amount owing, they went ahead and built further state of the art classrooms costing billions…why ? What a waste!To put SLC further in debt?!
“costing billions” !!
Maybe question the Reverend Peter Russell? A man of god would surely have to answer honestly about what they actually knew, where the profits of the sale are going, have they. Considered all the impacts of their decisions or has greed and money won the day? Could there be a more locally beneficial use but less financially beneficial to the directors option available. A man of god is surely above the greed of man and fully behind the enrichment of the local community. Maybe there should be an independent body that takes over the sale, ensures all parties that are owed money get paid, then anything left is returned to the local comunity. Failing that sell the debts to a university, let them have the site. Great for the area and local business economy.
Bit of a bone to grind with a man of the cloth ?
The gentleman you refer to was very kind , extremely hardworking ,positive , could actually turn his hand to anything and helped all pupils , oh and he was great fun . I speak as an atheist and former pupil of St Lawrence College .
Maybe you should turn your religious investigations off and look towards the to Busar
No grind at all, just saying he’d be the man to ask as he’s the most likely of the board to in tune with his morality and spiritually obliged to tell the truth as he sees it. I don’t know the others but….
Interesting opinion.
No, you obviously do not know about the “others”
You seem a bit touchy on this subject… are you anything to with the “ others”
No I am not
Nice place for asylum seekers, the labour government will pay handsomely for the premises.
There is a lot St Lawrence college could do to raise extra income
They have a wonderful Church on site that could be used for weddings and an excellent theatre and sports facilities indoor and outdoor.
I wonder what are the accounts for Dover College??