Leweston: the school that was closed by email

One email ended 135 years of education at Leweston School. With pupils displaced, staff unpaid and questions surrounding its finances and management, parents are now fighting to reopen it as a not-for-profit school

Tuesday 27th October: Robert Nejako was sitting in his car outside Lidl in Yeovil at 1pm when he received an email saying he was no longer Head of Physics and Engineering at Leweston School. One hundred and eighty other other staff also lost their jobs via email. An email which contained a screen grab of a letter with neither masthead nor signature – but the message was clear. No consultation and no redundancy payments, not even any wages for October.
Four minutes later, the parents of 577 pupils and 100 nursery children received an email saying the school was closed and would not re-open after half-term, six days later. And then there were the cleaning, catering and transport staff: sacked. And local suppliers will no doubt have unpaid invoices.
No parent or staff had any warning, including headmaster John Paget-Tomlinson.
The school’s equestrian centre staff, reeling from the news, were told to empty the stables by the weekend. The handful of staff living on site were told to leave their homes, their hot water and heating were switched off and the locks were changed.
A school sports team was abroad in Europe, a new resident priest had just arrived and six jobs were being advertised on the day the school died.

The decision clearly pre-dated the emails: annual school fees had already been collected, while major bills remained outstanding and the £450,000 monthly wage bill was three days away.
As parents scramble to find new nursery and school places, the anger is focussed on Hugh Dickinson, founder of Concept Education, the company which took over the day-to-day running of the school just ten months previously.
He has not responded to a request to answer questions about events.
West Dorset MP Edward Morello said his office had been signposting parents and staff to school places and job vacancies, helping staff access emergency funding and hardship loans, and writing to lenders to ask for grace periods. He has also met directors of Concept Education and trustees of the Catholic Schools Trust.
‘I have so many questions. I want to know why fees weren’t ringfenced, and why the school closed after it couldn’t pay staff rather than in time to meet its liabilities. What funding did Concept have in place when it purchased Leweston, given the promises that were made to governors about investment? How is it allowed that the group company has the same directors/trustees as the charity responsible for owning/managing the assets of the school? Have any laws been broken? Is regulation and oversight of private schools robust enough?’

ILG steps in
More than 60 former Leweston pupils, mainly senior children, began a new academic life at Clayesmore School in Iwerne Minster this week, a 40-minute drive away. Clayesmore is the closest to Leweston among the 30 independent school and nurseries in the Inspired Learning Group, which offered placements to all pupils affected by the closure.
Justin Spanswick, the group’s Chief Operating Officer, acknowledged to Dorset Life that he and senior colleagues knew of Leweston’s impending closure before parents and pupils were told. But he said: ‘It was very recently, just a week or two: there was not a long thought process behind it. Leweston approached us because we have two schools in the area and asked if we would be able to support children who wouldn’t have a school place. We felt it was important for the children to make the transition as easily as possible.’
ILG is not charging fees for the remainder of this term, and will replicate Leweston’s pricing structure for the final two terms of the academic year. Parents who paid upfront for the year at Leweston will not have to pay any more.
It is an unexpected increase in pupil numbers for Clayesmore, but Spanswick denied profiteering. ‘We don’t want to close schools, we want to keep education going. We are not cashing in, as it might appear, we`re doing it to support families. We’re sticking our necks out – parents could go at any time.’

Where did it all begin?
16th December 2025: Leweston school had operated for 135 years when it was sold to the Catholic Schools Trust, a charity. The Trust kept the buildings and school land (46 acres) but sold the day-to-day operation of the school to Leweston School (Sherborne) Ltd, a subsidiary of Concept Education, which agreed to pay the Trust rent for use of the campus.
It was a deal described as a strategic alliance. Founder Hugh Dickinson said at the time: ‘Leweston is a well-established, high-performing school. Our role is to maintain the school’s excellence and break new ground.’ North Dorset MP Simon Hoare had a different take. Speaking to Dorset Life he dismissed the verbiage on Concept’s website as ‘a word salad of utter meaningless rubbish. Put simply – this whole situation just doesn’t smell right.’

Show us the money …
The Trust: Charity Commission reports say the Trust was £3.86m in debt, secured against the school’s 46 acres and buildings, which are valued at £8.12m. Operating losses increased to £770,970. But in its July 2025 accounts filing, the Trust said it was looking to raise £25m in donations, and ‘…on this basis, the trustees conclude the school is a going concern.’ The Trust now say in a statement that the closure is ‘deeply concerning’.
The School: As it only took over operations in December, the limited company was not due to file accounts until March, 2027. But in March this year, four months after taking over, a debenture was registered which gave HSBC bank formal rights and charges over the school’s assets to back a borrowing facility. Dickinson co-signed the agreement. The amount borrowed by the company under the facility has not been made public, and Concept has now officially appointed insolvency practitioners to handle liquidation of the school. One of the many rumours currently circulating is that neighbouring farmers have been put on notice that land will be sold off by the Trust.

John Paget-Tomlinson, head
It is striking in this affair how much the headmaster was sidelined by events. He had been Head of Leweston for five years and was immensely proud to claim that pupil numbers had increased by 150 per cent in that time.
When Concept Education took over Leweston, he was adamant that he and the staff would remain in charge of running the school. It would appear that Paget-Tomlinson was kept in the dark throughout the summer, when the school lurched towards closure. And certainly not involved when the decision to close finally came. ‘He found out when the rest of us did,’ said Robert Nejako.
He was also asked to stay away from a meeting with Dickinson and parents two days after the closure. But he attended – and was given a standing ovation from the staff.
Paget-Tomlinson joined Leweston from Portsmouth High School. A History and Classics specialist, he continued to teach A-level and Year 7 at Leweston. ‘It’s important for the headmaster to maintain links with the classroom and to know every pupil in the school,’ he told The Catholic Herald in a September 2025 interview. He added: ‘I am immensely proud of having increased the size of the school over the past five years. This growth represents a thriving community and a secure future for our pupils, their families and our dedicated staff. Growth on this scale has brought greater stability, enriched opportunities, and a renewed energy across every part of school life.’

What does Dickinson say?
In a letter to parents, Dickinson blames ‘severe financial headwinds’ through declining pupil numbers, VAT on school fees, the loss of business rates relief and rising employment costs. Pupil numbers fell from 610 to 577 after the VAT hike.
But even as recently as June, he spoke highly of the school and its ethos and how Concept’s investment would ‘protect its future.’ His tune is now very different: ‘It was losing money, and there was a real risk that it would close. While due diligence was undertaken prior to acquisition, issues in the school’s operations emerged far beyond anything we could have anticipated.
‘We tried but we failed to turn it around, and we must now face the anger and devastation that this will bring to Leweston families. Discussions continued right through October with people willing to support the school financially. Those discussions were serious, and until very recently we believed they would succeed. They have not ended as we hoped, and without that funding the school cannot meet its obligations, including the salaries due this week.’

Collateral damage
It is generally acknowledged that Leweston was never awash with money: it is a relatively small private school which prides itself on accessibility. Up until December, the school had a commercial subsidiary called Leweston Enterprises which ran at a £296,000 loss in the year to July 2025. Head of Chemistry Rob Whale told Dorset Life: ‘It is a wonderful school. The kids here smile – they love the school. It was never a rich school – but we bumbled along. It is a comfortable place, like putting on a warm pair of slippers.’
Robert Nejako said: ‘In September, I had three pupils aged 16 starting a new B-TEC Level 3 Engineering Programme. It was no small accomplishment to get a programme started: I spent a lot of time and effort putting it together, a five-year process.
‘It has been a goal of mine since I started teaching and it was starting to grow – at a Sixth Form Open Evening three weeks ago, eight more pupils said they were interested. Now there is no provision for it – Leweston was the only place in Dorset following this programme.’
He attended a staff meeting at the school two days after the crash. Dickinson was there.
‘He didn’t give any answers: he didn’t know how to answer any questions, even though he is the guy who has to answer to all this. It was farcical.’
Nejako’s partner, Valerie Hartzell, was a part-time music teacher at the school. She lost two months of pay, Robert one, and both believe there is little prospect of other work until a new term begins in January. ‘I have to find four months of mortgage with no income,’ said Robert. ‘I don’t know what I am going to do.’
Dorset MPs Simon Hoare and Edward Morello have both offered to help staff by sending a letter to mortgage companies, landlords etc, to explain the situation and ask for support.

The nursery
Leweston’s was a highly successful and in-demand nursery, taking children up to four years old. There is very limited space elsewhere, although Buckland Newton Primary School, Wincanton Early Years Centre and Shillingstone Sunbeams have all offered a lifeline to staff and pupils. The nursery was busy when staff were told they no longer had jobs.
’We received emails at 1pm to pick up our children immediately with no warning or reason,’ said one parent. The staff chose to stay until 5pm to ensure every child was kept safe until they could be collected.

The equestrian centre
A new purpose-built equestrian centre with 20 stables opened at the school two years ago, largely funded by Dr Geoffrey Guy at nearby Chedington Estate. Pupils could train at Chedington Equestrian, a facility that works with Olympic-level riders. Most horses and ponies at Leweston were owned and loaned to the school – all have now been found homes, with staff working without pay until the new arrangements were made.

The swimming pool
The school hosted holiday camps and hired out facilities, including the pool. Aquatots and Terrapins Swim School are among baby and toddler classes now without access, along with eight local state schools. Steve Thomas, head teacher at Terrapins, had run a weekly pool hire for 12 years and said he received no notice.

What about the kids?
In addition to the ILG group, several neighbouring independent schools have also offered to step in with emergency placements. Neither Dorset Council nor Ofsted were informed, and the educational impact on SEND has not been evaluated. Dorset Council’s admissions team is working flat out to ensure that all pupils have places within ten to 15 days.
Karen Leahy, former head at Talbot Heath Junior School, said the damage done to pupils’ education is huge: ‘You can’t play Russian roulette with children’s lives. For the exam years 10, 11, 12 and 13 this is a potentially life-changing disaster. The children have been wrenched out of the familiar with no warning, no chance for closure and no goodbyes.
‘For parents there’s not only financial loss but the agony of dealing with shocked “bereaved” children, plus the race to find somewhere for their children to go that is geographically viable, educationally suitable and financially appropriate. And the staff have lost their financial security, a job they will have loved. They have not had any closure with pupils they may well have cared for for years, and have probably lost faith in the system.’

What happens now?
Monday 2nd November: About 300 parents, pupils and staff gathered at the school for a rally. Speakers included parents leading a rescue campaign to re-open the school by January as a not-for-profit charity with an independent board. Dozens of children wore school uniform and sported home-made protest banners.
A group of about 12 parents with differing skills and qualifications have now formed a working group with the aim of reopening the school. ‘Leweston’s day-to-day running was close to breaking even. It failed because of how it was owned and financed,’ says the group on its new website, leweston.group.
On 3rd November, the group said ‘The insolvency practitioners have agreed to consider the working group’s plan once it is put to them. If they accept it, control of the school would pass to the working group. What stands between us and that is the funding: the plan needs a level of backing we have not yet secured, and securing it is now the whole of our work.’
More than £450,000 has already been pledged. The financial plan is modelled on fewer than a third of pupils returning, with five years to rebuild. ‘The funding is based on that cautious case, not the best case.’
Fees will move gradually towards those of comparable local schools while staying below the local average. The group says staff will have their October wages paid. More than £21,000 has been raised in a fundraiser for staff and teachers on Just Giving. Another fundraiser has been started specifically for nursery staff. And a petition to save Leweston on Openpetition.org has now attracted 3,500 signatures.
Parents who paid fees in advance may be a creditor of the company in liquidation. A solicitor is acting collectively for Leweston parents. To register your claim, email [email protected] with your name, your children’s names, and the amount you paid.

by Steve Keenan

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