A prestigious independent school has suddenly shut down, blaming financial pressures of Labour's tax raid on fees.
Mount St Mary's College in Spinkhill, Derbyshire, has closed with immediate effect, saying it can no longer remain financially viable in the face of rising costs and government policy changes.
The Jesuit day and boarding school, which charges up to £21,420 a year for pupils in Years 9 to 13, has served the community for nearly 200 years.
The chair of governors, Shaun Whyman, said they had taken the decision with 'profound sadness and a heavy heart' after exhausting all possible alternatives to save the school.
Mount St Mary's, whose headmaster is Jack Murphy, said the impact of VAT on fees and the removal of business rates relief had hit it hard, like many other private schools.
