THE newly-merged Haberdashers' Monmouth School is set for more staff redundancies as some subjects are axed amid new Government VAT charges and other pressures, pushing costs up by “25 per cent", the executive headteacher says.

The boys' school, which dates back to 1614, and the girls' school, founded in 1892, merged at the start of the academic year, which also saw staff streamlining.

And in a letter to school alumni announcing news of more redundancies, Simon Dorman said: "As you will be aware, the government’s budget statement in October 2024 announced a series of measures which cumulatively have a significant impact on our school budget.

"As well as the imposition of VAT at 20 per cent, we are impacted by the rise in the rate of Employers’ National Insurance, the above inflation rise in the Minimum Wage and the removal of Business Rates relief.

"Together these will add at least 25 per cent to the costs of independent schools, including Monmouth and in most cases only a fraction can be reclaimed against VAT.

"Parents have been presented with a significant increase to fees from the start of this month and we are determined to ensure that future fee increases will be as limited as possible to keep the outstanding education that Haberdashers’ Monmouth School offers affordable."

Mr Dorman added that cuts in some subjects were necessary, saying: "Proposed changes to our Senior School curriculum mean that we will reduce the size of our teaching staff body, mainly at the Senior School, through redundancy processes, and we will be consulting with our colleagues over the course of this term.

"As you will understand, these are painful processes for any school to go through, and other independent schools up and down the UK will be undertaking similar actions.

"I want to assure you that staff changes will not impact the quality of pastoral care or teaching, or the co-curricular programme.

"In addition, we are also looking to find efficiencies in our support staff as well as in other areas of our budget."

On reducing some subjects while adding others, Mr Dorman said: "We have undertaken a careful review of our curriculum with the twin aims of better supporting the aspirations of our pupils and deploying our resources as efficiently as possible.

"Some optional subjects at GCSE and A level have attracted very small numbers in recent years, whilst there has been considerable interest in a range of new subjects.

"We are therefore proposing to discontinue a small number of subjects while at the same time offering some new level 3 qualifications alongside our A level programme in the Sixth Form.

"Interest in these among our current Year 11 students is strong and from this September we will run level 3 courses in Sport, Business and Criminology.

"A level courses in Physical Education and Business will continue to be available alongside these courses, but places will be limited."

He added that the school would discontinue A level courses in Classical Civilisation, Greek, German, Russian and either Religious Studies or Philosophy and GCSE courses in Ceramics, Classical Civilisation, German and Greek, although students studying them in Year 10 and 12 will be able to complete the courses.

"While these challenges are significant, we are very fortunate in Monmouth to have the support of the Haberdashers’ Company and the William Jones Foundation, which is a very significant advantage compared to most independent schools," added the head.

"As you know, we have invested significantly in our estate to prepare it for our new co-educational school and are well placed to meet the challenges of the future.”

The school will also be advertising for a Development Director, tasked with raising funds for bursaries, which are now “more needed than ever by families of modest means”.