St Hilda's School, Westcliff-on-Sea
History
St Hilda's predecessor school, St Clare's, was founded by Mrs Tunnicliffe in 1946 at Thorpe Bay. St Clare's soon outgrew its premises and new buildings in Westcliff-on-Sea were purchased. St Hilda's was opened in January 1947. The school was owned by Mrs Tunnicliffe's family.
Closure
St Hilda's School was foreclosed and closed on short notice in the summer of 2014. The last school day was 14 July 2014. The Echo newspaper reported that the school may have closed due to highly increasing levels of debt in its final years. Its headteacher Susan O'Riordan and financial director Steven Gorridge had both resigned as directors from the management board of the school on 30 April 2014. In a statement, the school's directors said that "excess capacity" for independent school places in the area was behind the decision. "We have sought finance, possible buyers and mergers, and various other possibilities notwithstanding considerable financial input from ourselves," they stated. The insolvency firm DKF Insolvency Ltd assisted with the school's liquidation.
Former pupils
- Hannah Tointon, actress
- Kara Tointon, actress
- Nathalie Emmanuel, actress
- Jessica Morgan, journalist
References
- ^ "EduBase - St Hilda's School". www.education.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- ^ 65 Years of St Hilda's
- ^ "Independent school in Westcliff shuts at short notice". Echo. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- ^ "When did head know St Hilda's was doomed?". Echo. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- ^ "St Hilda's school in Westcliff goes into liquidation". BBC News. 11 July 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- ^ "Dad's pride in his two TV star daughters". Southend Echo. 11 October 2010.
- ^ "Forbes 30 under 30". Forbes Magazine. 8 April 2020.
External links
- St Hilda's School
- Profile on the ISC website
- ISI Inspection Reports
