Parents vow to fight closure of ‘beloved’ Bristol school

A group of parents have vowed to fight plans to close a Steiner school in Bristol.  

Bristol Steiner School and Kindergarten is set to shut its doors at the end of the current academic year in July 2024, after entering administration.      

The fee-paying school on Redland Hill in Redland says dwindling student numbers have caused an “untenable” financial situation.  

But parents have pledged to prevent closure of the school, which is for 3 to 11-years-olds and costs up to £9,288 a year.         

A Bristol Steiner School spokesperson said: "Over many years the school has been supported by the generosity of friends, charities and the global Steiner Waldorf movement enabling the school to provide high quality education.

"Sadly, the recent decline in current student numbers has made the financial situation untenable." 

They added: "We extend our heartfelt thanks to the many families, pupils, ex-pupils, teachers, team leaders, and friends of the school for their support and generosity that have contributed to the schools' success over five decades.” 

The school premises will be managed by joint administrators Leonard Curtis during the final two terms. 

In response to the closure, parents have launched a campaign to save the school which first opened in 1973. 

In a statement, they said: “The parent body has galvanised to start making plans to find a viable and sustainable solution to ensure the continuation of the school past July 2024, as recently reported. 

“The dedication and skills of this remarkable group of people are an inspiration and a force to be reckoned with. 

“The parents and friends of the school passionately believe that it is possible to save the school from the scheduled closure and will be working in the new year with administrators, who are fully engaged with this process and supportive of finding a solution that enables the school to continue.” 

Bristol Steiner School was last visited by Ofsted in June this year, where inspectors said that the school ‘requires improvement’.

Another Steiner school, Steiner Academy Bristol in Fishponds, closed in 2019 after being thrown into special measures following a damning Ofsted report.