Abbotsholme School — an independent school founded in 1889 and set on 140 acres in Rocester — abruptly closed after a director's email sent at 4:11pm during the final class gave parents under an hour's notice. The shutdown, effective June 11, spares only pupils taking public examinations and follows months of financial trouble, unpaid staff claims and ownership changes involving Syd Phillimore, Jamie Buchanan and insolvency practitioner Anthony Costigan. Earlier assurances that the school would remain open in September proved premature, leaving more than 220 pupils aged 2–18 without confirmed places and parents describing the closure as traumatic.
137-Year-Old Abbotsholme School Shuts Abruptly — Parents Given Under One Hour's Notice
The school has an Arts & Crafts main building said to retain many original features
Abbotsholme School, the independent school founded in 1889 on a 140-acre campus in Rocester, has closed suddenly after parents received an email from the school's director at 4:11pm during the final class of the day — leaving families with less than one hour's notice. The closure affects all pupils except those sitting public examinations and follows weeks of financial turmoil and a series of ownership and management reversals.
Background
The coeducational day and boarding school, which charged fees of up to £44,000 a year, had been publicly struggling with finances for several years. Staff have claimed they were not paid for their final two months of work. At the end of last month, local businessmen Syd Phillimore and Jamie Buchanan purchased the site and reportedly leased it to Abbotsholme 2026 Ltd, a company led by insolvency practitioner Anthony Costigan.
Charlotte Molloy previously told parents of a deal to keep the school open in September
Sequence of Events
- Late May: New owners were reported to have acquired the school and planned a financial review; an initial closure date of June 22 was mentioned.
- Early June: After backlash from parents — including the defacement of school signs — the owners appeared to delay or reverse the closure decision. Head teacher Charlotte Molloy told parents an agreement had been reached that would allow the school to remain open in September.
- Wednesday, June 11: A letter from Anthony Costigan, sent to parents at 4:11pm during the final class, stated the school would close that day to pupils (except those taking exams), leaving more than 220 children aged 2–18 without confirmed places for the next term.
“We are deeply aware of the worry and uncertainty that the recent news about Abbotsholme School may have caused you and your family. Please know that the well-being and safety of every child in our care remains, and will always remain, our absolute first priority,” the letter from Mr Costigan said. “From Thursday June 11… the school will be closed to pupils — with the important exception of those sitting examinations.”
Parents described chaotic and distressing scenes as pupils scrambled to exchange contact details and missed end-of-term events. Phil Rigby, a parent, told the Daily Mail his son had been left "sick with worry" and lamented that children had been "robbed of end of school trips, proms and celebrations." Teachers and staff have reportedly not been paid for recent months, adding to uncertainty about outstanding obligations and payroll.
Outstanding Questions
The letter made no mention of longer-term arrangements for pupils, staff redundancies, refunds of fees, or support for families seeking alternative placements. The school has been approached for further comment.
Note: This report summarises available public accounts and statements. Some details — including the precise status of contractual arrangements between the owners and Abbotsholme 2026 Ltd — remain unconfirmed and may be subject to further reporting.
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