But the Acting Head Teacher of St Christopher’s Preparatory School – which has also recently been involved in two Employment Tribunal cases – says she is “determined” to get through the difficult “patch”.
St Christopher’s Preparatory School – whose fees are in excess of £7,000 a year – was called to appear in the Royal Court last month by Treasury.
However, when their case was heard on 8 November, no one appeared in court on behalf of the school and orders were made in their absence.
The Royal Court heard that the St Clement-based school had failed to pay ITIS contributions in 2023 and January to June 2024, totalling £57,110.33.
Pictured: No one appeared in the Royal Court to represent St Christopher’s School.
Short for Income Tax Instalment Scheme, ITIS contributions are deductions employers must take from their employees’ salaries each time they are paid.
The Royal Court also heard that it owed £42,867.07 in unpaid Social Security contributions.
In both cases, the Royal Court – made up of Lieutenant Bailiff Anthony Olsen, sitting with Jurats Collette Crill and Jeremy Ramsden – subsequently ruled that the amounts would have to be paid back, as well as Treasury’s legal fees. They also authorised St Christopher’s School’s assets to be seized and sold off.
Distraints have already been made. The school’s mini bus – a Ford Transit – and two small sculptures decorated by pupils for the Tortoise Takeover and Go Wild Gorilla trail in aid of Durrell are facing being auctioned off.
The new judgments pile pressure on the school at a time after it had already been in the Petty Debts Court, and faced Employment Tribunal cases involving past staff.
One saw the Employment Tribunal find that a former School Auxiliary who had worked at St Christopher’s for over 30 years had been wrongfully dismissed and that the school hadn’t given her payslips or written terms of employment. The school was ordered to pay her more than £13,000 in compensation.
Pictured: One former staff member was wrongfully dismissed, the Employment Tribunal ruled.
During a sit-down interview with Express to discuss the turbulent period, the school’s Acting Head Teacher, Cheryl Ahearn, said: “I’m hoping and very much determined that we’re going to get through this patch. We’ve been in a bad place before and we’ve come out the other side.”
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The small-scale school, which accommodates boys and girls aged 3 to 11, has long been praised for its family atmosphere since being founded in 1964, and received a positive inspection report last year. In a year where it should be celebrating its 60th anniversary, why is it now on the brink? And where can it go from here? More to follow from Express… Sign up to our FREE daily news email to make sure you don’t miss it.
