Bristol Steiner School - Case Update

An alternative school has been saved from administration thanks to an extraordinary community campaign that has ensured the school can stay open for its 80 students, saved 25 jobs and secured payment in full for all creditors.

Bristol Steiner School is a 50-year-old school located in the Redland area of the city which offers an alternative curriculum to its students who are aged 3-11. Its approach is built on the principles of Rudolph Steiner and focuses on a holistic education that includes intellectual, emotional, practical and artistic development.

Siann Huntley and Sean Ward of Leonard Curtis were appointed joint administrators of the school in December 2023 after its financial situation became untenable due to several factors including the impact of the Covid pandemic, rising energy and interest costs, the cost of living crisis and lower student numbers.

At the time, it was announced that the school would shut its doors at the end of the academic year in July 2024, but a seven-month community campaign to raise funds and bring the school out of administration has quite literally saved it from the brink.

The rescue involved a two-pronged approach. First, the joint administrators worked with the school’s secured lender, Triodos Bank, to ensure the school could continue in its duty of care to its students. This bought them time to work with the Parents, Teacher and Friends Association (PTFA) to come up with a plan to allow the school to exit administration and return to the control of the board of trustees. Parents from across the world reportedly donated £210,000 to save the school, and the school was also loaned £770,000. This, coupled with a robust restructuring plan, allowed for a solvent exit from administration, with all creditor claims being settled in full.

The administrators’ last progress report (filed in July) can be found HERE. They were assisted by Osborne Clarke (legal), David Plaister Limited (tax advice), Cerberus Asset Finance (chattel agents) and Ecclesiastical (insurance).

The PTFA were assisted by Gareth Hegarty of Shakespeare Martineau.