NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union has grave and urgent concerns about the wellbeing of teachers and pupils at Abbotsholme School in Rocester, following its recent sale to a new owner and sudden closure to the majority of its pupils.
Though the school remains open for boarders and pupils taking exams, the teachers have not been paid since April and the new employer, Tony Costigan, has offered teachers, pupils and their families no certainty as to the school’s future in September.
“The rapid unfolding of this process ripped away from the children, and staff, any possibility of possibly processing their loss, of being able to even say goodbye properly – which is simply cruel,” said a distressed teacher. “Watching children sob in front of you, wanting you to help them understand why it is all happening, and not being able to do that for them is utterly heartbreaking.”
“The way that everyone has been treated is disgraceful, particularly the staff, who have been working for nothing since the beginning of May. Many of us are struggling to pay bills and are worried about our futures,” said a second teacher. “It is a period of great sadness and this is having a tremendous negative effect on our mental health. We are still working, despite not being paid, to make sure that exams run smoothly and that boarding students are looked after.”
A third teacher said: “For me, this is not simply the loss of a job. It is the loss of a community, a home, and a way of life. I have not just lost a job; I have lost a family and a world that meant everything to me.”
Matt Wrack, General Secretary of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, said:
“Abbotsholme teachers, pupils and their families have been devastated by the school’s sudden change of hands and subsequent closure. They are now being kept in the dark while rumours about plans for the school’s valuable buildings spread across local press and social media. The teachers are particular concerned about the school’s large number of SEND pupils, many of whom are vulnerable and will struggle to transition to new schools after this trauma.
“Abbotsholme’s teachers were abruptly transferred from one employer to another with zero consultation. Their new employer appears to be a councillor in a completely different area to the school – East Hampshire District Council – and seems to be subjecting teachers to emotional blackmail in order to keep them working without pay. This is not the conduct one expects of a public servant and someone with influence over public services in their local area.
“The staff feel a strong sense of duty to their pupils and the employers know this all too well. They seemingly expect staff to absorb all of the school’s responsibilities towards pupils, and for the government to pick up the tab for any redundancy pay and outstanding pay owed to the teachers. This exploitative and manipulative behaviour has to stop.
“We are calling for Abbotsholme School Limited, the school’s previous owners, to pay the teachers the wages they are owed until the end of May. The company still appears to be active. In addition, we are calling for the new owner – Tony Costigan of Abbotsholme 2026 Limited – to immediately brief teachers and parents in full about the school’s future, to honour the teachers’ contracts, and to make sure teachers are paid for the work they are currently undertaking.”
