Overview
- The school closed with roughly 24 hours’ notice on July 2, leaving 281 pupils without places and forcing families to seek alternatives before the new term.
- FRP Advisory partners Philip Watkins and Mark Hodgett were appointed joint administrators on July 6 and are running a formal wind-down of Durham Education Limited.
- The majority of staff have been made redundant, a small team remains to help pupils, and affected employees are being guided to claim through the Government Redundancy Payments Service.
- The National Education Union says there was no meaningful consultation and that staff were told they may not receive full contractual notice pay, so unions are seeking legal advice on possible protective awards.
- Owner Galaxy Global Education blamed falling pupil numbers, rising employment costs and the introduction of VAT on fees for making the school no longer financially sustainable, and administrators will decide the site's future.