Parents and supporters of Ruthin School have launched a campaign to save the historic Welsh private school after its sudden closure was announced, exploring options including a buyout. The Save Ruthin School campaign says it is looking at "realistic opportunities" to keep the more than 700-year-old school open, including a buyout.
Background of the closure
Chinese company Galaxy Global Education (GGE) announced the closure of Ruthin School, along with 142-year-old Durham High School in Co Durham, England, last week. Ruthin Education Limited, which operates Ruthin School and is part of GGE, has gone into administration. In April, GGE also revealed the 133-year-old Malvern St James in Worcestershire would shut.
GGE bought Ruthin School in 2023 for approximately £4.8 million, but it reportedly recorded operating losses of approximately £2 million a year over the past two years. Around £1 million of secured borrowing is understood to be attached to the property. Discussions had previously taken place regarding a possible rescue alongside another school acquisition, but this proposal failed, the meeting was told.
Campaign details
At a meeting of the newly launched campaign to save the school, supporters were told that the administrator appeared to be supportive of a community-led bid, but there is a tight deadline. The campaigners need to have a formal proposal before the administrator’s end-of-July deadline. Volunteers, including past pupils and parents, have agreed to help with financial modelling, business planning, and school operations, as well as other tasks to help implement a plan for a buyout and re-opening.
Possible approaches to re-open Ruthin School include: submitting a formal bid; leasing rather than purchasing the property; establishing a not-for-profit educational trust; forming a temporary educational cooperative; and operating a smaller educational model while developing a long-term solution. No final decisions were taken pending further financial information expected from the administrator.
Viability and community support
The Save Ruthin School campaign insists the school is viable and demand is there. Members say they are encouraged by the recent successful parent buyout of St Clare's School in Porthcawl, which is due to re-open in September. Parents at St Clare's raised millions for a buyout after education company Cognita shut it along with Oakleigh House prep school in Swansea in December 2025. Cognita said neither school was financially viable.
Those hoping to stage a buyout were warned that "considerably more financial information is required before any viable proposal can be developed." The campaigners also looked at why Ruthin School had become financially unsustainable, including pressures such as falling pupil numbers, declining international boarding recruitment alongside "heavy reliance" on overseas boarders, and "concerns that recruitment activity in China reduced significantly following Galaxy Global’s acquisition." The meeting heard "it was generally felt" that recruitment for September 2026 would be extremely challenging, long-term recovery would require rebuilding boarding numbers, and international recruitment would be essential to any sustainable future. Alongside this, those at the meeting said local pupil recruitment should be strengthened.
Members of Save Ruthin School said the school "remains an important educational institution with significant heritage and community value" and they believe it can be viable. Representatives of the Old Ruthinian Association, which has previously provided significant financial assistance to the school and has a large network of experienced professionals willing to assist, have confirmed their support.
Protests and staff impact
After the meeting, a protest was held at the school on Friday July 10. Parents and staff spoke of their devastation and determination to keep the school from closing permanently. One parent and member of the campaign, Vanessa Brimelow, said: "We are all absolutely devastated. News of the closure was all very underhand and sudden. On the last day the administrator was here while the children and staff were on site, some of them crying. We want to save the school. It's not just a school, it is heritage."
Another parent, Arwen O'Neill, who has a child about to go into key GCSE exam year 11 and another into the key start of secondary year seven, said parents and staff had been left without school places and jobs. "I keep flipping from anger to tears and we have had to apply to other schools. We are trying to keep it in the public eye and grouped together to form Save Ruthin School. We are hoping to try to re-open and have a few possibilities."
She said the staff have been unable to find new jobs at such short notice, and it was hoped they could be kept on if the school is saved. One of the teachers who lost their job spoke of the shock: "Everyone is reeling, especially because of the lack of notice. We were just given the news on the spot that the school would be closing. That means 100+ staff are immediately out of work. Our last pay was on June 30. I am feeling devastated. I think the message from staff is we want the school to stay open if some way can be found to keep it open."
In the meantime, there are concerns about protecting the site now it is vacant. The meeting was told that security arrangements are being implemented by the administrator.
