PARENTS are still looking for answers after a school closed its early years classes with ‘no warning’.

Earlier this year, Our Lady’s Abingdon (OLA) informed parents that the school would not be providing places for nursery, reception, and Years 1 and 2 this academic year.

The school reportedly contacted parents on July 3, the same day pupils broke up for the summer term, to explain the situation.

That led to parents penning an open letter to the Radley Road school, after they were left with less than two months to find an alternative school.

Read again: Parents write letter to Our Lady’s Abingdon about closure of school places

Now, parents say they have tried over the course of the summer to try and speak to the school’s leadership team and governors, but have been refused every time.

One parent, who did not wish to be named, said it was a ‘sad, shocking and puzzling situation’.

They added that fellow parents worried for the school, even though their children were no longer there.

Parents say the school closed the classes without any consultation with parents and no warning after the school broke up for the summer.

Oxford Mail:

After the term ended at midday, parents reportedly received the email at 8pm that evening.

Prav Karian, chief operating officer at OLA, said the decision was taken to protect the wider school community.

He said: “OLA, similar to many other schools and businesses has had to respond to the exceptional circumstances and financial challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Our decision to close our nursery, reception and Key Stage 1 classes was taken to realign our business model and protect our wider school community and our future mission.

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“We do of course sympathise that some families were disappointed with this decision.

“The school communicated to the parents concerned its reasons in full for doing so, and fully supported the transitional arrangements for any affected pupils to other schools and settings.

“This decision aligns the school with many other local independent schools which also commence education from Year 3 upwards.

“OLA is fully committed to delivering outstanding education supported by exceptional pastoral care to the community for all pupils aged seven to 19, and we remain passionate about our future as we look to invest to grow and further enhance our offer.”

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In the letter, parents criticised the school for the way it communicated the news, with the letter saying ‘we are disgusted not only by your decision, but by your approach to communication’, while describing the email as ‘impersonal’.

Parents also claimed that their children were ‘denied the chance to say goodbye to friends and teachers’ with the ‘emotional and mental wellbeing’ of students not considered.

As the school offers an education for students right the way through to sixth form, parents said that the school had ‘deprived children of the education that we chose for them in good faith on the basis that they could remain at OLA until they were 18’.