Earl Spencer's school to close amid abuse inquiry

A school attended by Earl Spencer, where a former staff member is being investigated following his allegations of non-recent sexual abuse, is to close.

Maidwell Hall boarding and day school in Northamptonshire has announced it will shut at the end of the 2025 summer term with "profound regret".

Earl Spencer, the brother of Princess Diana, alleged in his memoir that he suffered physical and sexual abuse at the school in the 1970s, between the ages of eight and 13.

Police confirmed they had recently spoken to another former pupil in connection with alleged abuse, and that a woman, aged 67, arrested and released in June, remained on conditional bail while inquiries continued.

On its website, the school said it had entered a period of statutory consultation on the planned closure with staff, with findings expected by the spring.

"The proposed decision to close the school has been taken with profound regret," the statement said.

It added that the school had "for many years been operating at a financial loss and although there has been some growth in pupil numbers, the school has been adversely affected by external factors that have made it impossible for the school to continue."

The statement to parents also pointed out that in 2022, Maidwell Hall faced "almost certain insolvency" and was only rescued by a merger with another school, which repaid a six-figure bank loan.

It added that VAT on school fees, the elimination of business rates relief as well as a rise in National Insurance from April meant it needed at least 250 fee-paying pupils to break even. Pupil numbers currently total 160.

Barbara Matthews, chair of trustees, said: "The trustees are bound by charity law to ensure responsible governance .. there is absolutely no doubt, the trustees have had to take a decision that none of us wanted to make."

In a statement in March, when Earl Spencer's book was launched, Maidwell Hall said it was "sobering to read about the experiences Charles Spencer, and some of his fellow alumni, had at the school, and we are sorry that was their experience".

The school also encouraged anyone with similar experiences to contact the police.

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