Parents ‘worried’ and ‘stressed’ following Oxfordshire private school closure
A parent says ‘we're frantically now looking at other schools’
Last updated 11th Aug 2025
Some parents in Oxfordshire are telling us they're hugely shocked that their children's school has closed suddenly, without much warning.
Our Lady’s Abingdon (OLA) announced its immediate closure yesterday after ‘exhausting every possible option to secure the schools’ future’.
Now, parents say they’re worried about how they will find a school in the few weeks remaining of the school holidays.
Ollie Holt’s daughter has just finished her GCSE exams at OLA and was looking to continue her studies at the school.
He says it’s come as a ‘huge shock’ as “there hadn't been any pre-warning that this is the situation that we as families and children were going to face.”
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, Mr Holt said: “We're frantically now looking at colleges and other schools, seeing what options are available.
“Obviously, lots of places people are on holiday, so you try and reach out and you get an out of office to saying call us in September.
“We can't really wait three weeks to then start looking at schools. So, I'm not quite sure how we'll solve it but it’s stressful for us, our daughter and all the families affected.”
Mr Holt also says that parents like himself are unsure about how their children will receive their exam results.
A-Level results will be released this Thursday, while GCSE results will follow next week.
Mr Holt said: “What they look forward to is that camaraderie and spending time together when they all get results together at the same time.
“I know there's a lot of concern that there won't be that peer support, which is really important for young people.
“So, there is work amongst parents looking to see if we can come up with something so that children can be together.”
In the announcement by Our Lady’s Abingdon, they said: “Our immediate focus will be on supporting families in securing alternative school places in Oxfordshire, assisting staff through the redundancy process, and helping them find new employment. A contingency plan is in place.”
OLA also say that economic pressures mainly due to the introduction of VAT on school fees has led to the decision.
They also outlined higher National Insurance contributions, the ending of business rates relief for independent schools, and rising operational costs.