Final attempt to save St Bees School

Campaigners working to save St Bees school put forward a motion yesterday at the Annual General Meeting of the St Beghian Society (the organisation for former pupils at the school) calling on the society to support the campaign to keep the school open and also proposing a motion of no confidence in the present governing body.

I have not seen any formal announcement of the result but if I correctly understand the most recent posts made on the Save St Bees School facebook page it appears the St Beghian Society did back their campaign.



Campaigners – including pupils wearing their school uniform – handed out leaflets stating that governors have ‘badly mishandled’ the situation and ask questions including

‘what went wrong?’

‘why was the school on a spending spree in the last two years’ and

‘how did the school lose control of bursaries?’

They suggested a parent-operated school as a way forward.

A heart-felt plea penned by a 10-year-old girl who has already written to the Queen to inform her of the announcement which has rocked the village and school community has appeared in the News and Star.

Prep school pupil Olivia Marsden says she is ‘scared’ about her future and that their vote is now campaigners’ ‘last chance to keep St Bees School alive’.

Her letter reads:

“I have cried every night since my Mummy and Daddy told me the news on that awful Friday.

“A lot of my friends have already left and it is very sad because they didn’t want to go and we are all worried we will not see each other again. I am scared what is going to happen to me next year and when I have to go to senior school.

“I don’t want to have to try and make new friends and I don’t want to go to a big strange senior school. I have some little medical and learning problems and I’m worried no other school will be able to offer me the help and support I get at St Bees.”

She added: “We have done everything we can to try to save our school. I have written to all the governors, to the Bishop and even to the Queen but nobody seems able to help. 

“Please help us as you are now our last chance to keep St Bees School alive and keep this amazing school open for us and all the other children for the next 432 years.”

Meanwhile the interim bursar and clerk to the governors of St Bees School has said it could be ‘some time’ before an independent report into governors’ actions is published.

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