A TEACHER has spoken of her sadness at the closure of the school where she worked after administrators were called in.

Administrators were called in to Ferndale House Preparatory School in Faringdon, Oxfordshire, on July 22, she said.

Staff, many of whom come from the Swindon and north Wiltshire area, didn’t find out what was happening until Tuesday when they were sent an email saying they no longer had jobs.

Staff say they still haven’t been paid for July and are in the process of applying to the Government to claim the money back.

The teacher, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: “It’s such a lovely school. It has been a super place for the children to be and the staff and parents are very passionate about it.

“We had an inkling that this would happen. I think they have tried their best to make it work but what we’re upset about is the timing.

"We should have been told about this sooner so we could have been better prepared.

“The staff have been in this week and have had to remove all their personal possessions. We don’t know what will happen to the building now.”

Until 2014, the school had been owned by independent operator Cognita before passing into the hands of parents after the demand for places fell dramatically.

And the past two years have seen a constant struggle to meet financial commitments – from not paying window cleaners to leaving the bins unemptied for long periods of time.

She said: “There have been serious problems with pay for the past six months. We have to remain professional in our job and it has been really hard trying to keep everything together.

“It’s a very sad ending for a lovely school and I don’t know where the children will go.”

She added: “I have no particular ill feeling towards the school I’m just very sad that it has come to this.

“Ferndale House has been a school since 1952, so it’s a really big deal."

Another teacher at the school, who also wished to remain nameless, said there had been issues with pensions.

Cognita confirmed that the school was handed over to parents in 2014 because of a lack of demand for places. The school's telephone number is now out of service.