00:00It's the end of an era, as Fulnec School in Pudsey has closed its doors after 272 years.
00:07The school was first established in 1753 to provide an education for the sons and daughters of the church's ministers and missionaries.
00:15More recently, it has offered private education to boys and girls aged between 3 and 18, as well as overseas boarders.
00:23Officials from Fulnec School located on the Fulnec-Moravian settlement confirmed in March that the difficult decision came after a careful strategic review.
00:33An unsustainable decline in students, exacerbated further by the COVID-19 pandemic and a rise in VAC costs, made the school financially unviable.
00:42Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith, suffragist Elizabeth Wollstone-Home Elmy and actress Dame Diana Rigg were all pupils at the school.
00:51The school said the decision was not taken lightly, with trustees considering all available and viable options to ensure the school could continue.
01:00However, after careful consideration and no offers materialising, the difficult decision to close the school was taken.
01:06From 1 January 2025, private schools in the UK are required to charge VAT on all education and boarding services provided for a fee.
01:15The government has estimated that this will raise £460 million next year and £1.7 billion by 2030.
01:24The Chancellor has said that the funds would be used to benefit state education.
01:29Moreland School in Wheatwood, which was first established in 1897, also recently announced that it will be closing its doors at the end of the year.
01:36Leeds City Council have pledged their full support, in line with admission policies, to any families wishing to apply to a state-funded school in Leeds.
