Students, staff and parents say goodbye as Northamptonshire independent school closes for good
Students, staff and parents have said goodbye as a Northamptonshire independent school has closed for good.
Maidwell Hall School, which was an independent school for four to 13 year-old boys and girls and offered boarding, closed for the final time on July 5.
The school, which was attended by Charles Spencer in 1972, had to close as there were “nowhere near enough fee-paying students on the books to financially keep the school afloat”.
Posting on Facebook, the school confirmed it hosted a number of end of year ceremonies, which were “bittersweet”.
The post said: “They were bittersweet days; both a celebration of everything that makes Maidwell Hall so unique as well as saying goodbye to a beloved school and cherished friends. Congratulations to all our prize winners, who deserved their moment in the spot light.
"However this year, our Year 8s were not the only Leavers, all the children are now Old Maidwellians.
“As one wise nine-year-old said: ‘We are not leaving Maidwell as it will always be in our hearts’. We are sure that all our children will carry this Maidwell spirit forward into their futures with courage and fortitude.
“A heartfelt thank you to our exceptional staff and dedicated parents. You carried the torch until the end, saying goodbye in true Maidwell style.”
The post was met with an outpouring of love from the school’s community. One commenter said: “A tragic end to a wonderful school” and another added: “The stories those walls could tell, so sad to see it closed”.
Another commenter said: “So very sad, a well respected school with an international reputation - not the future anyone anticipated for you. So sorry.”
In recent months, the school had been at the centre of abuse allegations, including from Charles Spencer. The Earl published a book entitled ‘A Very Private School’ in March of last year. In the book, he makes claims about alleged abuse he suffered at the school. In June last year, Northamptonshire Police also launched an investigation into claims of sexual abuse at the school. A 67-year-old woman from Stafford was arrested in connection with allegations of sexual abuse dating back to the 1970s. She was released on bail.