- Target:
- Ipswich Education Limited
- Region:
- United Kingdom
This petition is now closed
I believe that the plans to go "Diamond" with IHS will be neither financially successful nor in the best interests of our girls education. It looks like diamonds aren't always a girls best friend.
Whilst I cannot change GDST's decision to "jettison" IHS I believe the parents (having still not been consulted in any form) now have the ability to help inform the new owners and help best shape the new school's format.
Probably like you, we as parents and our daughters firmly bought into the concept of an all-girls education for them, including sixth-form which is surely the key phase of schooling.
There is no shortage of other co-ed independent schools in the area, and until now just one all-girls school in the county.
I feel that the new structure unwittingly has combined the worst of all-formats, also has lost this key all-girls school USP. Thus the new business model looks set-up to fail.
There seems to be a general acceptance that there will be only a few boys coming to the school, at least in the near-term.
Coupled with this there will be a natural and I believe large drop-off in numbers of current girls who are dissatisfied with the new structure.
Then to compound this it is highly likely that fees will be set to rise significantly given the burden of new infrastructure - both boarding facilities and new classrooms, changing facilities for boys etc.
The timing of the change in ownership looks to have been deliberately set for the beginning of the school year thus snaring us into committing pupils to a further year at IHS, combined with the absence of any consultation or detailed committed plans.
With all our support, we can I believe keep the school all-girls and also increase attendance and viability of the school through providing both affordable and excellent education.
Please support and spread this word.
Thank you.
Ben Walmsley, father of 4 girls incl Charlotte (year 8) and Georgina (year 6)
We the parents and daughters of IHS ask Ipswich Education Limited to please -
1. Reverse the decision to turn the school co-educational and keep the school all-girls.
2. Confirm your commitment with a time-frame of running the school at its current location until 2027 earliest.
3. Commit to not increasing the day school fees faster than the rate of U.K. Inflation (Consumer Price Index) until 2027 earliest.
We firmly and passionately believe in keeping all that is both special and unique about the IHS. It is in the best interests of not just our children's education but also for the long-term benefit of IHS and indeed its franchise value here in the U.K. and overseas.
Failure to commit to all of the above by the end of this Christmas term will reluctantly result in us pulling our girls out of the school at the end of this school year.