Education correspondent GENE BRODIE on the latest move by the borough’s biggest landowners in the slow, death throes of one of Croydon’s best-known schools
The final bell, on the final day at the end of the school’s final year has not yet been rung, but the money men (and women) at the Whitgift Foundation are already hustling the remaining young pupils out of Old Palace’s prep school in South Croydon, in their race to flog off the site and try to plug the gaping hole in the charity’s accounts.
End of term: the nursery and prep school on Melville Avenue will soon close for a final time
The Whitgift Foundation is one of these private school businesses that is registered as a charity, even though it is really a multi-million private business as a property owner and developer.
Last September, the Foundation shocked even the Croydon establishment when it announced that it would be closing its £18,000 a year girls’ school, both at its secondary site in Croydon Old Town, and the nursery and prep on the site of the former Croham Hurst School at Melville Avenue in South Croydon.
Originally, the plan was for the schools to close at the end of the 2025 school year. But as the initial trickle of parents seeking a more settled education for their daughters elsewhere became a torrent late last year, the powers-that-be at the Whitgift Foundation grasped the nettle and announced that the Melville Avenue site would close this July.
Polite notice: today’s letter from the Whitgift Foundation
Today, “neighbours” in South Croydon received advisory letters from the Whitgift Foundation which, more than six months after the retirement of its chief executive, Martin Corney, has yet to appoint a permanent replacement.
Today’s letters were signed by Emily Boynton, the Foundation’s head of HR and now “interim CEO”.
“As you may know,” Boynton wrote, “the prep school and nursery at Old Palace of John Whitgift School will be closing at the end of the summer term.
“I am writing to let you know that the site at Melville Avenue will soon be offered for sale on the open market.”
Inside Croydon reported last September: “Given the listed, protected status of many of the senior school’s historic buildings in Old Town, the Melville Avenue site in South Croydon, not far from Lloyd Park, appears to be an obvious development possibility to offer aid to the Foundation’s stricken finances.”
Boynton’s letter continues: “The process is being led by Knight Frank and is expected to last around 18 months.” This, of itself, seems unusual, since most of the Foundation’s property portfolio is normally managed by Croydon-based estate agency Stiles Harold Williams.
Boynton wrote: “There should be minimal disruption for local residents during this process, and we also wish to reassure you that once the school term ends we will be retaining a security presence on site and have engaged vacant property protection experts to ensure it remains secure.”
So as predicted, having got itself into financial straits through its dalliance with developers – Westfield – in Croydon town centre, the Whitgift Foundation is now hoping that developers will buy up its property to deal with its cashflow crisis.
Which means while “there should be minimal disruption” for Melville Road residents immediately, it surely won’t be long before concrete mixers whirr and construction traffic arrive to develop the site, including its playing field, potentially as blocks of flats.
But why 18 months?
According to one local property professional, “It is taking quite some time to sell standard residential properties, let alone ex-private schools with land needing planning permission to build on.”
One now former parent of an Old Palace pupil told Inside Croydon, “The Whitgift Foundation was always going to sell this site to fill the huge hole in its finances. It is just a shame it has come at the cost of educating girls in Croydon.
“It is hard to believe the Whitgift Foundation could not have sold one of their other assets, or even the playing field at Old Palace, to at least try and keep the school going.
“Hopefully whoever builds on the land does it sensibly.”
Read more: Charity Commission alerted to problems at Whitgift Foundation
Read more: Another Whitgift shock as second head teacher decides to quit
Read more: Foundation brings forward Old Palace prep closure by a year
Read more: Falling rolls and rising fees: how Old Palace got squeezed
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Does Gene have a chip on her shoulder? The ability of the Whitgift foundation to raise money through its property means that more scholarships and bursaries were handed out to kids that couldn’t afford an education there.
Gene identifies as he/it/they. Otherwise he’d be Jean.
But haven’t you missed the entire fucking point? The Foundation has fucked up so royally over Westfield that they are closing a 600-pupil girls’ school because they cannot afford the 250-or-so bursaries that have been previously provided.
Look at all the UK shopping centres, they are all going under. Westfield wouldn’t have survived even with the foundation.
Again, missing the point.
They’re not all going under. Bentalls in Kingston isn’t, nor are the Westfields at Shepherds Bush (the UK’s biggest) or Stratford and all the other big ones.
Central Croydon’s retail offering has suffered for various reasons well documented elsewhere on this website.
One factor that has been overlooked is that in allowing the growth of huge shops with huge free car parks along the former industrial base of the Purley Way, the council have steadily crippled North End ever since Payless DIY opened its doors in 1986 on the site that is now Marks & Spencer.
When IKEA first opened, Croydon councillors welcomed the fact that traffic jams were the most noticeable result.
B&Q’s aim when opening their megastore was to cater for all DIY needs in a huge radius beyond the borough boundaries. There’s very little competition left (Kingfisher own Screwfix as well).
Now we have massive traffic congestion and pollution problems on what is meant to be a strategic road serving all of London, not just Croydon shoppers getting their groceries, clothes and electrical goods from retailers that used to be in the town centre
The Town Centre is full of crime and right now Purley Way is the best alternative. Let’s be real….the stench of weed, the homelessness, the knife crimes, the gangs and the majority of ppl on high street are dominated by men too. The lack of social integration between ethnic groups and ppl not having English as a first language further compounds this. No one wants to go to Croydon Town Center unless these problems are sorted out
Inside Croydon alluded to Westfield solving deeper problems before building thier flats in a previous article too .
Westfield footfall numbers across their 2 sites in London are near enough back to pre covid levels. I’m shocked why Westfield decided to u turn and screw over the foundation. Or maybe it’s just intentional?
Scholarships and bursaries for Kids? I think you mean boys. The Whitgift Foundation will no longer educate girls.
You can only sell land once, doesn’t seem like a very smart business plan if they intend to last another 420 years.
Well, if I remember correctly, the cooperation with Westfield was encouraged by the previous members of the council …
Put up a big block of flats on the site, with the penthouse suite having a commanding view of Mayor Perry’s swimming pool
Apparently there is a large indoor swimming pool on the site. Perhaps part time will launch a bid with Polaska to take control and create parking mayhem.
That’s very funny. 🙂