Provisional Liquidator Appointed for Fernhill School
A private school in Lanarkshire, Fernhill School, has closed permanently a day earlier than originally planned following the appointment of a provisional liquidator.
Fernhill School had announced in February that it would close at the end of the school term after the charity regulator raised concerns of "misconduct" regarding the school's management.
Donald McKinnon, representing the accountancy firm Wbg, stated that the school had been under "enormous financial pressures" in recent years.
"My primary duty in this role is to safeguard the wellbeing of the pupils and the staff. Once the liquidator has been appointed, there will be an investigation into what led to this predicament," McKinnon said.
He further explained that he made the decision to close the school 24 hours earlier than planned and to cancel a scheduled end-of-term fun day to "safeguard pupil welfare" and to allow security professionals to begin securing the premises.
The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) had previously reported that Fernhill, a Catholic institution located in Rutherglen serving both primary and secondary pupils, had failed to submit accounts to the regulator for several years.
Established in 1972, Fernhill School was founded after a group of parents raised funds to maintain a primary school operated by the Sisters of Notre Dame. The school charged tuition fees of up to £20,000 per year.
According to Wbg, the school's two directors, Giuseppe 'Sep' Marini and David Equi, decided to close Fernhill due to "rising costs and VAT on school fees," alongside what the firm described as "many challenges."
A provisional liquidator's role generally involves preserving a company's assets but does not include commencing the winding-up process typical of a full liquidator.
Wbg indicated that a formal investigation into the causes of the school's financial failure would begin once a full liquidator is appointed at a later date.
McKinnon was appointed following a petition to the court by Marini and Equi.
"While the school had been due to close at noon tomorrow, I have taken the practical decision to close it today to avoid any further distress to the pupils," McKinnon added.
"To that end, I considered it appropriate and necessary to cancel the planned fun day to safeguard the pupil's welfare, regarding an obligation to appoint professionals on site to deal with security and other practical matters at hand."
Misconduct Claims and Financial Irregularities
In February, it was disclosed that Fernhill's board of trustees had submitted unaudited dormant accounts to Companies House last year, covering the years 2023 and 2024. The OSCR stated it was unable to determine the reasons behind this submission.
Dormant accounts are typically filed by companies that have had no significant financial transactions, such as salary payments, during the relevant financial year.
The school's former accountants, Bell Barr and Company, resigned in October 2025, citing concerns related to the unaudited dormant accounts lodged with Companies House.
Earlier this year, the OSCR expressed its belief that there had been "misconduct in the administration of the charity."
Accounts published by the school in 2022 indicated that Fernhill would be able to continue as a going concern until 2026, but noted "material uncertainty" beyond that point.
The school had faced closure previously in 2014 but was saved after parents of pupils raised funds to keep it operational.
McKinnon also acknowledged the "tremendous efforts" made by staff to ensure pupils were able to sit their exams as scheduled at the end of term.
