Campaigners 'can't prevent closure of St Bees school in July but still working on plan for future'

As you know, with your support, the Rescue Group and its many supporters has worked hard all week in accordance with our commitment to you at Monday’s Community Meeting – to have a look at what might be done to save the school but without any guarantees as to success. The reason for choosing a week is that we are very conscious that, if we were unable to find a guaranteed way to save the school, students need to look for places at other schools and the staff, teaching and support, need to look for alternative employment.

We have only had a week and much of the business information about the school could not be supplied to us until Friday. We hope you understand that under these circumstances we cannot develop a business plan with the underpinning that is needed to allow us to confirm that we have found a way to save the school.

From what we have seen there is the possibility that a business model can be developed which will allow continuation of the educational tradition at St Bees as an independent public school or maybe in some other model. However, we must not mislead you that such a model could be implemented to prevent closure of the school at the end of the summer term”