Parents and pupils campaign to save cash-hit private girls school

Students and teachers were given just nine days' notice that Brantwood Independent School for Girls in Nether Edge will shut, after the Royal Bank of Scotland pulled the plug on its finances.

Parents are also to hold a meeting tonight to discuss drawing up a "rescue package" to save the school and the school's governors have been approached by two groups.

They "would like to see if they can salvage anything from our current position," said chairman John Boyington.

Isza Tindall, 15, said she and her classmates had been emailing their MP, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, to try to enlist his help.

She said: "We need as much help as possible to raise as much awareness as we can. We're in the middle of our GCSEs and this has really set us back.

"Until last week we were completely oblivious as to what was going on.

"It's a beautiful little school. When I found out I burst out crying and couldn't stop and the teachers were in tears as well."

Isza added that, as yet, she doesn't know which school she'll be going to after the February half-term holiday.

She said: "A lot of the state schools don't have any places. I've got to keep looking, hoping and asking for help."

Brantwood had been struggling financially due to the recession and had loans with RBS, secured against the value of the school building – initially estimated at 1m.

However, RBS produced a valuation of 600,000, which it described as a "more realistic" figure, based on the property being sold for purposes other than as a school. The bank then offered the school a credit line for 100 per cent of that valuation.

Mr Boyington said: "The level of support that they were willing to extend left us with no option but to close the school in a pre-emptory manner."

More than 30 staff are now facing redundancy and 128 girls aged between three and 16 have to find a new school.

A spokesman for RBS stressed the decision to close Brantwood school had been made by the governors, not the bank.