More Trouble at Ruthin School?

A former employee is making allegations and there's a fairly lively debate over on Facebook as to whether Schola Ruthinensis is up for sale to the Chinese. 

It isn't. 

But it has changed as an entity. It's formally become the business it always has been rather than a charity. Whether connected or not, it appears that soon after the departure of Toby Bellfield, uncovered were some loans that were difficult to repay, or so informed sources suggest. The only method of meeting those repayments prompted the change of entity.

Does anyone actually care? You might argue that the answer is purely academic (if you'll excuse the pun) because:

• Few people ever have the opportunity to see beyond the school façade to know exactly what's going on. The school seems to keep itself to itself; and

• Most of us haven't a hope of ever sending our children to Ruthin School, anyway. 

How it started on Facebook

But let's not forget that the school is actually a major local business. It is reported to employ over 150 people, many of whom are local and all of whom support the local economy. And, the older pupils at the school spend in town, albeit in Tesco and a Well Street takeaway that seems to serve as a sixth form common room. The town needs the school probably more than the school needs the town. 

If the change in status therefore safeguards the school, so be it. And, there's already competition between private education providers for a very limited catchment. At the same time as all this emerged on Facebook, families in Rhuthun/Ruthin were receiving letters from Rydal Penrhos trying to attract pupils to Bae Colwyn. Then there's competition from the relativity new Myddelton College, Dinbych.

Schola Ruthinensis' reputation has taken a very recent knock, thanks to a significant slide in its A-level ranking. In fact, Ruthin School has had its ups and downs. We all remember the Red Caps who were allowed out on Sundays but selling a private education to locals has never proven to be easy. Numbers declined. 20 years ago, during the Toby Bellfield era, Schola Ruthinensis addressed this by becoming an international school, many of whom now come from the far east. So successful was this that its fortunes changed dramatically. If tis is maintained then, actually, we shouldn't worry.

If it fails to attract adequate numbers of students to support it, a sale to the Chinese or anyone else is fairly pointless. Unless the new owners would wish to asset strip, of course and then it becomes a major concern. 

Note that one of the seven directors states their residence as Hong Kong.