The Education Not Taxation campaign is marking the loss of independent schools since the Labour Government came to power on 4 July 2024. These are mainstream independent schools, as opposed to independent specialist schools where over 90% of students have Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) funded by local authorities that can reclaim any VAT charged.
As of 6 September, 130 schools have completely closed. Other categories include:
- Closed due to merger: 6
- Partial closure: 14
- Merged: 22
- Joined larger group: 28
- Changed to co-ed: 16
Some schools will have had more than one event (e.g. partial closure and change to co-ed), and so some schools may be counted twice.
The list below includes schools that have changed since Labour came to power, and how they changed. We make no judgement on whether VAT caused each of these changes; this list simply documents what changes have happened.
Please let us know if we’re missing any other changes (e.g. part-closure, change to co-ed, etc), after confirming that it is not in the list below. You can contact us here.
| School Name | Local Authority | Change | Change visible on DfE register |
| Abbot’s Hill School | Hertfordshire | Changed from girls to co-ed | No |
| Abbotsholme School | Derbyshire | Closed | Not yet |
| Abercorn School | Westminster | Closed | Yes |
| Abingdon School | Oxfordshire | Changed from boys to co-ed | No |
| Advance Education | Brent | Closed | Yes |
| Alamiyah School | Barking and Dagenham | Closed | Yes |
| Alderley Edge School for Girls | Cheshire East | Closed | Not yet |
| Aldwickbury School | Hertfordshire | Changed from boys to co-ed | No |
| Alton School | Hampshire | Closed | Yes |
| Ashfold School | Buckinghamshire | Charity merged with Stowe School but remains a separate school | No |
| Ashton House School | Hounslow | Closed | Yes |
| Assess Education | Liverpool | Closed | Yes |
| Austen House | Lancashire | Closed | Yes |
| Avon House Preparatory School | Redbridge | Closed | Yes |
| Barfield Prep School | Surrey | Joined Radley Schools Group but will continue to operate as a separate school | No |
| Barlborough Hall School | Derbyshire | Closed | Yes |
| Bedford School | Bedford | Changing from boys to co-ed | No |
| Bedstone College | Shropshire | Closed | Yes |
| Beechwood Park School | Hertfordshire | Merged with St Albans School but will continue to operate as a separate school | No |
| Beeston Hall School | Norfolk | Joined Radley Schools Group but will continue to operate as a separate school | No |
| Bickley Park School | Bromley | Joined Sevenoaks School group but will continue to operate as a separate school | No |
| Bishop Challoner School | Bromley | Closed | Yes |
| Bishopstrow College | Wiltshire | Closed | Yes |
| Bow School | Durham | Closed | No |
| Box Hill School | Surrey | Taken over by Reigate Grammar and changed name | No |
| Brabyns Preparatory School | Stockport | Closed | Not yet |
| Braeside School | Essex | Closed | Yes |
| Brighton & Hove Montessori School | Brighton and Hove | Closed | Yes |
| Bristol Waldorf School | Bristol, City of | Closed | Yes |
| Brookes UK | Suffolk | Closed | Yes |
| Bryony School | Medway | Closed | Yes |
| Cambridge International School | Cambridgeshire | Closed | Yes |
| Cambridge Tutors College | Croydon | Closed | Yes |
| Canford School | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | Merged with Dumpton School to become Canford Schools Group but will continue to operate as a separate school | No |
| Carfax College | Oxfordshire | Closed (de-registered) | Yes |
| Carrdus School | West Northamptonshire | Closed | Yes |
| Cedars School | Inverclyde | Closed | No |
| Chandlings Prep | Oxfordshire | Joined Radley Schools Group but will continue to operate as a separate school | No |
| Charlotte House Preparatory School | Hertfordshire | Joining Berkhamsted Schools Group | No |
| Chartfield School | Kent | Closed | Yes |
| Chase Grammar School | Staffordshire | Closed | Yes |
| Chase Grammar School International Study Centre | Staffordshire | Closed | Yes |
| Clayesmore Preparatory School | Dorset | Closed due to merger/amalgamation | Yes |
| Cobham Hall | Kent | Changed from girls to co-ed | No |
| Conifers School | West Sussex | Closed | Yes |
| Cothill House | Oxfordshire | Joined Radley Schools Group but will continue to operate as a separate school | No |
| Dorset House School | West Sussex | Became part of Lancing College but still operates as separate school | No |
| Downham Preparatory School and Montessori Nursery | Norfolk | Closed | Yes |
| Drive Preparatory School | Brighton and Hove | Closed (de-registered) | Yes |
| Drumduan | Forres | Closed | No |
| Dudley House School | Lincolnshire | Closed | Yes |
| Dumpton School | Dorset | Merged with Canford School to become Canford Schools Group but will continue to operate as a separate school | No |
| Durham High School | County Durham | Closed | Yes |
| Durston House School | Ealing | Joined St Paul’s School Group but will continue to operate as a separate school | No |
| Edenhurst Preparatory School | Staffordshire | Closed | Not yet |
| Edgbaston College | Birmingham | Closed | Yes |
| Ellern Mede Moorgate School | Rotherham | Closed | Yes |
| Exeter Cathedral School | Exeter | Closing years 3-8 | No |
| Fairfield PNEU School | North Somerset | Closed | Yes |
| Fairholme Prep | St Asaph | Joining Myddelton College in Denibgh. Fairholme campus closing. | No |
| Fairview International School | Bridge of Allan | Closed | No |
| Falcons School | Wandsworth | Closed | Yes |
| Fernhill School | Lanarkshire | Closed | No |
| Framlingham College | Suffolk | Joined Mill Hill Education Group but will continue to operate as a separate school | No |
| Frobel Independent School | Barking and Dagenham | Closed | Yes |
| Fulham School | Hammersmith and Fulham | Senior school closed and school re-named as The Fulham Prep School Ltd | No |
| Fulneck School | Leeds | Closed | Yes |
| Godolphin School | Wiltshire | Closed Prep school Changed from girls to co-ed | No |
| Gracefield Preparatory School | Bristol, City of | Closed | Yes |
| Great Walstead School | West Sussex | Charity merged with Ardingly College but remains separate school | No |
| Harrogate Ladies’ College | North Yorkshire | Changed from girls to co-ed | No |
| Heathfield School | Ascot | Joining larger group but not closing. Changed from girls to co-ed. | No |
| Heathside Preparatory School | Camden | Closed | Yes |
| Hemdean House School | Reading | Closed | Yes |
| Hereford Cathedral Junior School | Herefordshire, County of | Closed due to merger/amalgamation | Yes |
| Highclare School | Sutton Coldfield | Closing one site and merging | No |
| Highfield Preparatory School Limited | Windsor and Maidenhead | Closed | Yes |
| Hollygirt School | Nottingham | Closing nursery to Y5 | No |
| Horris Hill School | Hampshire | Closed | Yes |
| Hulme Grammar | Oldham | Prep School closed | No |
| Immanuel College | Hertfordshire | Prep school closed Senior school closure announced, but rescued | No |
| Iona School | Nottingham | Closed | Yes |
| Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation | Haringey | Closed | Yes |
| Kent College Pembury | Kent | Senior school changed from girls to co-ed | No |
| Kilgraston School | Perthshire | Closed | No |
| King Henry VIII | Coventry | Pre-prep closed | No |
| King’s House Moorlands | Luton | Closed | Not yet |
| Kings London | Bromley | Closed | Yes |
| Kingscourt School | Hampshire | Closed | Yes |
| Kitebrook Preparatory School | Oxfordshire | Joined Radley Schools Group but will continue to operate as a separate school | No |
| Lawrence House | Tameside | Closed | Yes |
| LIFE Wirral Sports School | Wirral | Closed | Yes |
| Lime House School | Cumberland | Closed | Not yet |
| Llandovery College | Wales | Fighting to survive (30/6/26) | No |
| Lochinver House School | Hertfordshire | Changed from boys to co-ed | No |
| Longacre School | Surrey | Closed | Yes |
| Loughborough Amherst School | Leicestershire | Closed | Yes |
| Luqman Academy | Sheffield | Closed | Yes |
| Maidwell Hall | West Northamptonshire | Closed | Yes |
| Malvern St James | Worcestershire | Closed | Not yet |
| Marlborough House School | Kent | Merged with Vinehall to become Marlborough House Vinehall School. Kent location appears on register as closed. | Yes |
| Mary Erskine School | Edinburgh | Merged with Stewart’s Melville College to become Erskine Stewart Melville | No |
| Merchant Taylors’ Boys School | Sefton | Boys and girls schools merged to form one co-ed school | No |
| Merchant Taylors’ Girls School | Sefton | Boys and girls schools merged to form one co-ed school. Girls school is recorded as closed on the register. | Yes |
| Moorlands School | Leeds | Closed | Yes |
| Moreton Hall School | Shropshire | Made headlines due to job losses | No |
| Moulsford Preparatory School | Oxfordshire | Changed from boys to co-ed | No |
| Mount St Mary’s College | Derbyshire | Closed | Yes |
| Mowden Hall School | Northumberland | Joined Radley Schools Group but will continue to operate as a separate school | No |
| Moyles Court School | Hampshire | Closed | Yes |
| Nancy Reuben Primary School | Barnet | Closed | Yes |
| Newcastle School for Boys | Newcastle upon Tyne | Merged wth Westfield School | No |
| Nightingale House School | Calderdale | Closed | Yes |
| Norbury Court School | Cheshire East | Closed | Yes |
| North London Rudolf Steiner School | Haringey | Closed | Yes |
| Oak Heights Independent School | Hounslow | Closed | Yes |
| Oakleigh House | Swansea | Closed | No |
| Old Buckenham Hall School | Suffolk | Joined Rugby School Group but will continue to operate as a separate school | No |
| Old Palace of John Whitgift School | Croydon | Closed | Yes |
| OneSchool Global Uk Nottingham Campus | Derbyshire | Closed due to merger/amalgamation | Yes |
| Orchard House School | Ealing | Closed due to merger/amalgamation | Yes |
| Orwell Park School | Suffolk | Became part of Benenden family of schools but will continue to operate as a separate school | No |
| Our Lady’s Abingdon | Oxfordshire | Closed | Yes |
| Oxford House School | Essex | Closed | Yes |
| Oxford Sixth Form College | Oxfordshire | Closed | Yes |
| Padworth College | West Berkshire | Closed | Yes |
| Palmers Green High School | Enfield | Closed | Not yet |
| Park Hill School | Kingston upon Thames | Closed | Yes |
| Phoenix Academy | Enfield | Closed | Yes |
| Pitsford School | West Northamptonshire | Closed | Not yet |
| Portland Place School | Westminster | Closed | Yes |
| Prenton Preparatory School | Wirral | Closed | Yes |
| Prestwich Preparatory School | Bury | Closed | Yes |
| Progress Schools – Lilford Centre | Wigan | Closed | Yes |
| Progress Schools Wigan | Wigan | Closed | Yes |
| Prospect House | Lancashire | Closed | Yes |
| Queen Elizabeth Grammar School | Wakefield | Merged with Wakefield Girls High to become Queen Elizabeth’s School | No |
| Queen Margaret’s School | North Yorkshire | Closed | Yes |
| Redmaids’ High School | Bristol, City of | Joined GDST group | No |
| Rendcomb College | Gloucestershire | Closed | Yes |
| RGS Worcester (Springfield) | Worcester | Prep School closed | No |
| Royal Grammar School | Newcastle upon Tyne | Merged with Westfield School and Newcastle School for Boys | No |
| Royal High School GDST | Bath and North East Somerset | Prep School closed | No |
| Ruckleigh School | Solihull | Closed | Yes |
| Rupert House | Henley | Taking over St Mary’s Prep | No |
| Ruthin School | Ruthin | Closed | No |
| Rydes Hill Preparatory School | Surrey | Prep school closed. Nursery and pre-prep continue. | No |
| Sherborne Boys | Dorset | Merging | No |
| Sherborne Girls | Dorset | Merging | No |
| Sherborne Prep | Dorset | Merging | No |
| Shrewsbury High School GDST | Shropshire | Changed from girls to co-ed | No |
| Shrewsbury House Pre Preparatory School | Surrey | Closed | Yes |
| Shrewsbury House School | Kingston upon Thames | Joined St Paul’s School Group but will continue to operate as a separate school | No |
| Solefield School | Kent | Became part of Sevenoaks School but still operates as separate school | No |
| Sompting Abbotts School | West Sussex | Closed | Yes |
| South England International School | Brighton and Hove | Closed (did not meet criteria for registration) | Yes |
| Southway Independent School | Leeds | Closed | Yes |
| St Albans High School for Girls | Hertfordshire | Merged with Stormont School to form the St Albans Education Group | No |
| St Albans School | Hertfordshire | Changed from boys to co-ed. Merged with Beechwood Park School but will continue to operate as a separate school | No |
| St Andrew’s College | West Northamptonshire | Closed | Yes |
| St Anselm’s School | Bakewell | Announced closure but rescued by local community | No |
| St Christopher’s Prep | Hove | Closing in September 2027 and merging with Windlesham School to form the new Brighton College Prep Hove. | No |
| St Christophers School | Devon | Closed | Not yet |
| St Christophers The Hall School | Bromley | Joined St Dunstan’s Education Group | No |
| St Clare’s School | Porthcawl | Closed | No |
| St George’s Preparatory School & Little Dragons Preschool | Lincolnshire | Closed | Yes |
| St George’s School Ascot | Windsor and Maidenhead | Will join St George’s Windsor to become a single school which is part of St Alban’s Education Group | No |
| St George’s School Windsor | Windsor and Maidenhead | Will join St George’s Ascot to become a single school which is part of St Alban’s Education Group | No |
| St Gerard’s | Bangor | Closed | No |
| St Hilda’s School | Hertfordshire | Closed | Yes |
| St John’s Wood Pre-Preparatory School | Westminster | Closed | Yes |
| St Johns Beaumont | Surrey | Changed from boys to co-ed | No |
| St Joseph’s College | Reading | Closed | Yes |
| St Joseph’s Park Hill School | Lancashire | Closed | Yes |
| St Joseph’s Preparatory School | Stoke-on-Trent | Closed | Yes |
| St Lawrence College | Kent | Closed | Not yet |
| St Lawrence College Junior School | Kent | Closed | Not yet |
| St Mary’s Prep | Henley | Merging with Rupert House school | No |
| St Michael Abbey School | Worcestershire | Closed | Not yet |
| St Wilfrid’s School | Devon | Closed | Yes |
| Stewart’s Melville College | Edinburgh | Merged with Mary Erskine School to become Erskine Stewart Melville | No |
| Stoke College | Suffolk | Closed | Yes |
| Stormont School | Hertfordshire | Merged with St Albans High School to form the St Albans Education Group | No |
| Talbot House School | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | Closed | Yes |
| Tashbar Boys Nursery | Gateshead | Closed | Yes |
| The Belvedere Preparatory School | Liverpool | Closing | Not yet |
| The Cedars School | Croydon | Closed due to merger/amalgamation | Yes |
| The GFC School | Medway | Closed | Yes |
| The King Alfred School | Dudley | Closed | Yes |
| The Kingsley School | Warwickshire | Changed from girls to co-ed | No |
| The London Acorn School | Merton | Closed | Yes |
| The Meadows Montessori School | Suffolk | Closed | Yes |
| The Old Hall School | Telford and Wrekin | Closed due to merger/amalgamation | Yes |
| The Pilgrim’s School | Hampshire | Became part of Winchester College but still operates as separate school | No |
| The Prepatoria School | Shropshire | Closed | Yes |
| The Royal School | Surrey | Closed | Yes |
| The Study School | Kingston upon Thames | Closed | Yes |
| The Ursuline Prep School Ilford | Redbridge | Closed | Yes |
| The Village School | Camden | Closed | Yes |
| Thetford Grammar School | Norfolk | Closed | Not yet |
| Trinity Christian School | Reading | Closed | Yes |
| Trinity School | Croydon | Changing from boys to co-ed | No |
| Ursuline Preparatory School | Merton | Closed | Yes |
| Vinehall School | East Sussex | Merged with Marlborough House School to become Marlborough House Vinehall School | Yes |
| Wakefield Girls’ High School | Wakefield | Merged with QEGS to become Queen Elizabeth’s School | No |
| Wakefield independent sch | Wakefield | Closed | Yes |
| Walthamstow Hall | Kent | Pre-prep closed | No |
| Walthamstow Montessori School | Waltham Forest | Closed | Yes |
| Want2Achieve The Academy | Stoke-on-Trent | Closed | Yes |
| West Hill Park School | Hampshire | Joined Radley Schools Group but will continue to operate as a separate school | No |
| West Lodge School | Bexley | Joined St Dunstan’s Education Group but will contionue to operate as a separate school | No |
| Westfield School | Newcastle upon Tyne | Merged with Newcastle School for Boys | No |
| Westminster Under School | Westminster | Changed from boys to co-ed | No |
| Windermere School | Cumbria | Closed one site | No |
| Woodcote House School | Surrey | Closed | Yes |
| Woodlands School | Essex | Closed | Yes |
Education Not Taxation 