Amberfield school

Nacton: Parents’ shock at school closure

Wednesday, October 12, 2011
9:13 AM

A SUFFOLK private school is to close at the end of the month after it recorded “unsustainable financial losses”.

Amberfield School in Nacton, near Ipswich, was founded in 1927 but a statement on the school website said it had been hit by a drop in pupil numbers in recent years, which had led to “significant losses”.

Chairman of governors, Alistair Lang said: “This is a very sad day which I know will be a body blow to our pupils, parents and staff.

“Amberfield is a small school which has been a real strength for its many pupils over the years. But its small size and its particular style in this difficult economic climate has made it increasingly difficult to keep afloat. “Despite a great deal of effort behind the scenes in recent weeks we have reluctantly accepted we have no option but to close the school.”

Amberfield is an independent day school for girls aged two to 16 and boys aged two to seven.

The school currently has 157 pupils and employs 32 teaching staff and 23 non teaching staff.

Governors and staff led by headmistress Linda Ingram will work with schools and parents to get the pupils in to new schools as soon as possible.

Mrs Ingram said: “My heart goes out to all our wonderful pupils and staff – this really is a sad day for us all. We are determined to do everything we can to ensure the transition of our pupils and our staff to new schools and jobs as quickly and easily as possible.”

Parents received letters this morning notifying them of the closure, one said it was “quite shocking” that they had been informed in such a way.

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34 comments

Unless"Elizabeth" has been hiding in a cupboard for the last 6 months , she really has no knowledge or understanding of the current situation. Bringing into question the passion, commitment and sacrifice made by all involved in this tragedy does not help those affected. The Governing Body, Leadership Team and all staff and current parents are passionate about Amberfield and the response by all proves this

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evie

Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Unless"Elizabeth" has been hiding in a cupboard for the last 6 months , she really has no knowledge or understanding of the current situation. Bringing into question the passion, commitment and sacrifice made by all involved in this tragedy does not help those affected. The Governing Body, Leadership Team and all staff and current parents are passionate about Amberfield and the response by all proves this

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evie

Tuesday, October 18, 2011
As a devastated ex member of staff who has spent the last three days consoling distraught girls and their parents, I am in total agreement with the comments made by the very astute " hoopsagger". Indeed they endorse those made in the staff room at Amberfield this week. As a staff, passionate about our pupils and the future of the school we had accepted a pay freeze over the last three years; had agreed to a 10% pay cut as from September 2011 and the majority of us had had an inevitable reduction in hours. Mr Alistair Lang (Chair of Govenors) had assured us that by taking a 10% pay cut we would cover the £200,000 needed by the school to secure its future for another year. Five weeks into term, with no change in the projected pupil numbers what has changed? There are many unanswered questions that only the Board of Governors, the Bursar and leadership team can answer. This is the very least that the pupils, parents and staff deserve.

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Elizabeth

Saturday, October 15, 2011
Sorry to be cynical but given that some of the staff work as little as a couple of hours a week why did the school not publish the FTE (Full Time Equivalent) figure up front (knowing that the press, public and BBC would cease on the headline figures) - and why is the press release on the web site at such pains to stress that in 2009 the financial managment was judged to be strong? Any half decent finance and managment team should have seen this problem coming a mile off not two days off. Mr Lang, his team of governors and the leadership team at the school have some serious questions to answer - they have caused the now ex-students ex-staff, and parents a great deal of grief to say the least. How many of the governors had a real stake in the school i.e. a daughter of theirs actually in the school? How many of them are lying awake at night wondering how on earth to recover from what has happened?

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hoopsagger

Friday, October 14, 2011
I think it is truly sad that such a fantastic institution has to end this way.

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Mark

Friday, October 14, 2011
I can see where Terence Wright is coming from, as it never sits well with the priviledged talking of themselves as 'elite'. I myself had a 'comprehensive' education, but my fortunes have been none the worse for it. Good luck to those that can afford their elitist education, if that's what suits, but as you can afford it, you'll simply have to continue with another elitist establishment. 55 staff indeed, part-time or otherwise !!!

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Mark

Friday, October 14, 2011
http:www.facebook.comamberfieldschool All help would be gratefully received

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John

Friday, October 14, 2011
I, too was there in the "brown and orange" years and loved nearly every minute. I consider myself "privileged" yes ... but only because of the love of my hard-working parents. What great training we had through the hard work of our teachers and Mrs. Jean Horsbrugh....and does anyone remember Miss Margaret and Miss Eleanor Roberts? What characters! Good Luck to you All.

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Janet Flatman

Thursday, October 13, 2011
My mother attended the school, so I thought it would be fitting for her grand children to attend. It is a truly great school with exeptional pastoral care of our children, your future country women. Its demize is primarily down to a lack of confidence in its unique style by local elite families. We are standing, watching an asset of Suffolk pass by.

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charles stennett

Thursday, October 13, 2011
"Shout Alleluja, let us sing praises to our God and King, may our hearts be filled with love, singing songs to God above!" Words Mrs Robinson and music Mrs Bingham, wonderful lyrics and music by 2 very wonderful teachers, how many schools can boast such a joyous and rousing school hymn.

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Rebecca Mercer

Thursday, October 13, 2011
@ leaver07 you say "even the TARTAN" - I was there during the Orange and Brown years with "baked bean" patterned summer dresses. Now that was character forming :-) Walking through Ipswich town centre to the Old Cattle Market bus station in those dresses and straw boaters. Like you, I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

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Ruth Lucas

Thursday, October 13, 2011
I attended this school for 9 years and loved every moment, even the tartan. I have so many memories and still have great friends from my Amberfield days despite having left at the end of 2007. Not only did I attend this school but I followed my mother here. There is nothing that will be able to replace the joys of this school and how much I was looking forward to the future, of sending my children here and being able to point myself out in the school photos hanging in the front hall. The school did so well and was only dented by one particular person which is such a massive shame. Alice Boone your addition of the reading brought so many tears to my eyes. Amberfield was very special and unique. So many people will have been saddened by this news.

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leaver07

Thursday, October 13, 2011
I am very proud to be a former Amberfield pupil, even more so after reading your comments! I was incredibly fortunate to be given the opportunities and education I received at Amberfield and in no way consider myself "priviledged". I simply have hard working parents who valued the education Amberfield could give. I am really sad to hear this news and I hope something can be done to save it.

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Philippa Ramsey

Thursday, October 13, 2011
I cannot begin to tell you how sad I was to hear this news late yesterday evening and then to see it on the front page of the EADT today. I attended Amberfield back in the 1970's and I can assure Mr. Wright that my family were not privileged. My parents and my Aunt worked hard to ensure I did not have to attend the failing local secondary school I would be allocated within the state system. I later became Chairperson of the Amberfield Association for many years. The School gave me a strong desire to see fairness and equality for all which may also surprise Mr. Wright and his stereo typical views. I consider myself to be a contributor to society in business as a Company Director and to the community as a Parish Councillor. This success and determination is thanks to my parents committement to public service and the Amberfield ethos at the time. My very best wishes to the Staff and pupils.

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Ruth Lucas

Thursday, October 13, 2011
I feel it is very important to point out that the quoted number of staff includes those who work only a few hours per week. Unlike the 'old' days when virtually all staff were full time, most staff these days, including those teaching, are anything but full time. Therefore it would be reasonable to all but halve the figure to realise an accurate figure of staff in attendance at any one time. The number includes, for example,cooks and cleaners, who are certainly not fulltime.

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gflakeg

Thursday, October 13, 2011
I have so many happy memories of Amberfield school in the days of Jean Horsborough as Headmistress but have to say 55 staff for 157 pupils! SLP and Governors is it a surprise?

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wattsfamily5

Thursday, October 13, 2011
Terence Wright, my old son, you're in a minority of one with your heartless and callous remarks, so you should probably keep them to yourself. Small independent schools like Amberfield have long provided the "Gold Standard" in education and it will be sorely missed. I wish all the very best to staff and pupils, past and present.

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PC Plod

Thursday, October 13, 2011
Dear Terence Wright, Oh Terry, Terry, Terry. So much bitterness? No love for us Amberfield kids? To whom you refer when you write of "privileged" ones, I do not know. We were all privileged to go to a school of excellence that went out of its way to support students with scholarships and they strived to ensure no student left Amberfield due to financial hardship. I can't speak for everyone but it got me into Cambridge and I'm *fabulous*, so they must have done something right. Ttfn x

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Sarah Woolley

Thursday, October 13, 2011
Oh luvvies, before we all get our knickers in a twist over the staff to student ratio can we please keep in mind many of them were part time and the drop in students was sudden.

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Sarah Woolley

Thursday, October 13, 2011
Terrence - Please stop trolling - you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. And Vicki- from what I understand most of the staff were very part time so the figure of 50 staff is somewhat misleading. To the others posting here, I totally agree. This is a very sad situation fo students and staff. I too remember the school with great affection.

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A Teacher

Wednesday, October 12, 2011
@terence wright- Well, that's ignorant. Funnily enough, I'm also an old student. Notice how all the pupils commenting on this are grammatically correct, and you sir, are not. So StOp TyPiNg LiKe ThIs. Just because you failed uni. "privileged" ones ended up Jobless or failing at Uni just the same as State School kids. NO SYMPATHY". What has that got to do with anything. Take your useless opinions elsewhere.

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Suzi92

Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Very sad day for me. I was a former head girl and my sister was a deputy head. I have gone on to be a successful doctor and my sister is one of the highest earning nurse practitioners in suffolk thanks to this school. (in reply to Terence Wrights comment about "jobless and failing at uni")

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Rebecca Mercer

Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Teaching staff are part-time and do one or two days a week which adds up to about 10 whole teachers for 157 children. Of course there were 250 children not very long ago but single-sex education is on a 10-year decline anyway, I do not believe there was much the school could do and the recession just finished the job. Amberfield was never a school for the over-priviledged, a high proportion of children were refugees from the over-burdened state-sector and whose parents made real sacrifices to send them there. Every child at Amberfield was one less in the state schools in the area meaning smaller class sizes and better resources for non fee-paying families, everyone will notice its passing and all the area's schools will be poorer as a result.

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Mavis

Wednesday, October 12, 2011
It's about time it closed? Hardly. Incredibly sad news. I had some of the best years of my life at this school. I couldn't have asked for more inspiring teachers!

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Samantha Self

Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Very sad to hear, i hope the pupils will find another school, especially those in Year 11 for whom i have a lot of sympathy alongside all the people who have now lost their jobs. I imagine that not all those employed were full time and that the 23 non teaching staff included office, cleaning and catering staff (again not full time) which makes those figures rather pointless.

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Alex Appleby

Wednesday, October 12, 2011
re Terence Wrights comments GET A LIFE!!!! This is peoples future and livelihoods at stake. If you have time on your hands change your surname to WRONG.

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garnham416

Wednesday, October 12, 2011
I am so saddened to hear this. What a wonderful school it is! I will always have such fond memories and could not of wished for a better school life then the one at Amerfield school! One of the most powerful memories I have is of Mrs Amphlett Lewis reading this; If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,b but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

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Alice Boone

Wednesday, October 12, 2011
I attended the school for 11 years along with two of my sisters. We are incredibly sad to hear the news that a school that was so good, and helped shape the people we are today is having to close. There is a great deal of sadness and love amongst the old girls who attended Amberfield and our thoughts go out to those pupils and staff going through this sad time. If anyone reading this knows of anyway in which we can help please let us know.

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Danielle Ramsey

Wednesday, October 12, 2011
I went to this school and left just over 4 years ago. In my final year there were over 300 students, and even more when I joined the school 5 years previously. It appears a dramatic reduction in student numbers in a very short space of time is the cause, with the governors not reacting in time. Although having said that, the school building would have eventually become too big for such a small number of pupils even if they had reduced staff numbers!

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Bluebell11

Wednesday, October 12, 2011
I feel sorry for all the parents who have paid school fees in advance - approx £4000 which is now "gone"! how will these children find new school places in such a short time and where, and also, I feel sorry for the girls having to have the stress of starting a new school mid year, it will be very unsettling for them.

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louise1809

Wednesday, October 12, 2011
I am devastated, Amberfield was an amazing school, perfect environment. There are so many happy memories and I sincerely hope someone saves it! Could it follow the government free school route, in order to keep it open?

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hannah_garnham

Wednesday, October 12, 2011
I attended Amberfield, it gave me some of my best memories and the people there shaped my life. Only those who went to Amberfield can understand how special a place it is and how sad we are to hear this news.

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lauraschofield8

Wednesday, October 12, 2011
This is tragic. I went here, my Mother went here! Fingers crossed someone can step in and save the day! :(

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Camilla Hall

Wednesday, October 12, 2011
55 staff for only 157 pupils? No wonder the school went bust.

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Origami Penguin

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

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