Students feel 'sad, angry and disrespected' after sudden closure of Dartington Hall college

Sam Blackledge reports on the sudden closure of Schumacher College in Devon

Students at a college in South Devon say they feel "sad, angry and disrespected" after being told their courses have been discontinued with immediate effect.Schumacher College, on the Dartington Estate near Totnes, will no longer offer undergraduate, masters and postgraduate courses, and students may have to transfer elsewhere.

Student Willoh Wood, who was about to start her second year studying regenerative food and farming and helped to organise a protest on Sunday, said she learned the news from media reports.

"I thought there had been some sort of mistake," she said. "After that there was just a lot of anger and heartbreak, and now I'm just deeply, deeply sad."

The Dartington Trust says it will help students move to other institutions where possible.Willoh said: "I've looked around at what other courses are available and there is just nothing like our course, it doesn't exist anywhere else.

"I don't think I will transfer, I think this might be it for me in terms of higher education, which is just extremely sad because I was so excited to graduate and leave here with a degree."

Izzy Box said: "At such short notice it feels disrespectful and it feels incredibly frustrating because it's our future and it's our education."

Dan Hanmer, who recently moved down London with his family to study here, said: "There's been a shocking disregard for people's feelings and people's lives.

"Schumacher is such an important institution for Totnes, for the South Hams district, but also globally it's really quite unique and independent from that perspective and that has all stopped as of two days ago."In a statement, the Dartington Hall Trust said: "It is with great regret that this decision has had to be made in a very short space of time.

"Our overwhelming priority is the needs of students: we will support every student in achieving the best possible outcome for alternative course arrangements or an agreed withdrawal.

"We acknowledge that this will be a difficult time for students and recognise the impact that this decision will have on many of them, in particular international students with related visas and those in receipt of student funding.The trust's bosses are due to meet with students on Monday to discuss a way forward.