Dorset's Leweston School to close with immediate effect

Leweston School, near Sherborne, announced the closure with little notice, prompting one family member to describe the decision as “outrageous”.

They said some pupils were in the middle of preparing university applications when the news was announced.

It has been reported that pupils were given no prior warning and staff were informed only minutes before the letter was sent to parents.

In a statement on its website, the school said every pupil had been offered a place from Monday, November 2, at a school within the Inspired Learning Group (ILG), including Clayesmore School and Sunninghill Prep.

The statement said: “Leweston School will not reopen after half term, and will close.

“Every Leweston pupil has been offered a place from Monday 2 November at a school in the Inspired Learning Group, which includes Clayesmore School and Sunninghill Prep.

“We are very sorry for what this means for our pupils, their families and our staff, and for how little notice we have been able to give. Families and staff have been contacted directly.”

Founded in 1891, the private school has a nursery, preparatory, senior and sixth-form sections.

Government records list the co-educational Catholic boarding school as having 577 pupils, aged between two and 19.

In November 2025, the school announced a partnership with Concept Education and the Catholic Schools’ Trust.

At the time, chair of governors Ian Lucas said the partnership would bring additional expertise and investment to the school.

The school’s alumni include actress Dame Kristin Scott Thomas and Baroness Dido Harding, who headed the NHS test and trace programme during the pandemic.

Leweston families with questions about schools within ILG can contact parentsupport@inspiredlearninggroup.co.uk. For other enquiries, they are advised to contact Hugh Dickinson, chief executive of Concept Education.