This August, several independent schools have shut with little notice, leaving families to find a new place before September. Avon House Preparatory School in Woodford Green will not reopen, after writing to parents on 4 August and citing financial pressure, including VAT on fees. Sompting Abbotts in West Sussex closed in the summer holidays. Rendcomb College near Cirencester had already ceased operating on 3 July.
If that is your inbox this week, you do not need a perfect long-term plan tonight. You need a workable one, in the right order.
Why some independent schools are shutting this summer
From 1 January 2025, education and boarding supplied by private schools in the UK have been subject to VAT at 20%. Smaller, standalone preps feel that change more sharply than large groups: they have less room to absorb it, and less time to find a merger or a buyer if numbers dip.
Closures are still unusual. When they happen in August, the calendar is unforgiving. Popular year groups in other independents are often full, and a state place is not automatic just because a private school has gone.
The first 48 hours
Do these three things before you start touring other schools.
Get the paperwork. Ask the school — or the administrators, if they are now in charge — for the latest reports, attendance record, any support plans, and exam-board candidate numbers if your child is in a GCSE or A-level year. Every option below will ask for them.
Treat this term’s fees as an administration issue. If you have already paid, write to the school and, if appointed, the administrators. Do not assume another independent will credit that money, and do not let a refund delay the search for a place.
Contact your local authority admissions team the same day. Once you need a place outside the normal round, you apply as an in-year admission. The council can tell you which schools still have places. In England, you should get a written decision within 15 school days.
You do not have to accept the first state place if it is a poor fit, but get a live application in so September does not arrive with nothing in place.
Three realistic options before term
Another independent school. Some nearby preps and seniors will still have spaces, especially in less popular year groups. Year 7 and sixth form are often the tightest. Ask about a September start, not a waiting list for January. If the quote is stretching the family budget, our 2026 cost comparison of online and traditional private schools is a useful sense-check before you sign another contract.
A state school, via in-year admission. This is the statutory backstop, and the route most councils will expect you to pursue in parallel. Use the published process, not a handshake with a head.
An accredited UK online school. This does not depend on a spare desk in a particular postcode. Live classes, a British curriculum and recognised GCSEs or A-levels can start from home when the building you paid for has gone. Typical full-time fees sit well below a physical independent, though you should still budget for exam-centre fees and kit.
If you are considering an online school
Two practical points, because this is late August rather than May.
Places are not unlimited. Accredited schools cap live class sizes, and some year groups are already on waiting lists. Our note on the September 2026 enrolment window is worth five minutes so you do not assume a Monday start is automatic.
If your child is still on another school’s roll, you will usually need a short deregistration letter. For mainstream settings that is a notice, not a request for permission.
For older pupils, online A-levels are the same exam-board qualifications universities already accept, including Russell Group and Oxbridge, provided the papers are sat as a private candidate in a proper centre. More on that here.
This week: request records, lodge the in-year application, and only then compare remaining independents with a real online-school offer.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do first if my private school closes suddenly?
Secure reports and records, write to whoever is handling fees, and contact the local authority about an in-year place. Then compare remaining independents with accredited online schools.
Can my child start a state school in September if the independent closed in August?
Yes, through an in-year application. The council can tell you which schools have places and how to apply.
Will I get this term’s fees back?
That depends on the contract and, if the school is in administration, on the insolvency process. Ask in writing. Do not let a refund delay the search for a place.
Is an online school a proper alternative to a prep or independent?
A good one is a teacher-led school following a British curriculum, not a set of recorded videos. Match the year group and exam route, not the marketing.
Do I have to home-educate if we choose an online school?
Using a full-time online school is a form of elective home education in law, but the school provides the teaching. You supervise; you do not have to become the teacher.
How fast can an online school start before September?
Some can onboard within days if files are in order. Others will already be on waiting lists for popular year groups. That is why a match this week is more useful than browsing in September.
Need a September place that is not a postcode lottery?
If your independent has closed and the local options are full or unaffordable, we can match you with accredited UK online schools that still have capacity. The matching service is free for parents.
Sources
- HM Revenue & Customs, Charging and reclaiming VAT on goods and services related to private school fees (updated 5 February 2026). VAT at 20% on private school education and boarding from 1 January 2025.
- Jodie Bradley, East London private school that costs £17k a year to close for good, My London, 23 August 2026. Avon House Preparatory School, Woodford Green.
- Lucinda Adam, Lancing independent school closes citing financial pressures, BBC News, 3 August 2026. Sompting Abbotts.
- Rendcomb College, closure notice. Ceased to operate as an independent school on 3 July 2026.