Moorland School went into liquidation last year and was stripped of its licence to enter students for the qualifications

Parents pay up to £12,000-a-term for their children to board at the Ribble Valley school, which has 288 pupils, ranging from three months old to 18 years.

Last year, Companies House listed the institution’s holding company – Moorland Private School Limited – as in ‘liquidation’ – owing £1.7m of debts.

In a statement Mr Harrison said that, in anticipation of Labour’s controversial policy to add 20 per cent VAT to private school fees, bosses made the decision to split the holding company into three different entities for nursery, primary and secondary schooling.

This restructure, he claimed, led to the subsequent exam blunder when the Joint Council for Qualifications, the body which represents eight major exam boards, refused to renew the senior school’s exam centre registration number because of concerns over their accounts. The school immediately offered to pay the GCSE exam fees up front but this was rejected, he said.

‘The private education sector has come under constant attack from Labour’s blind and uneducated policy,’ he said. ‘Moorland School took the decision to split the school into three educational establishments, under three different trading entities, due to Labour’s intent to charge parents an additional 20 per cent in VAT against school fees in January 2025.

The school tried to dupe parents by sending out an exam timetable instead of the official exam board statement of entry, the source claimed. Picture: Stock image

‘The JCQ, Department of Education and Independent Schools Inspectorate were notified of our restructure and never once did Moorland School’s directors receive any regulatory advisement or expression of concern. Therefore, we were not aware of any potential negative impact upon our previously registered centre number.

‘We learned in January that the JCQ were reluctant to renew our centre registration number, citing financial viability concerns, and our instructed legal team, advised that lodging an appeal would likely not resolve matters in time.’

Mr Harrison criticised the Department of Education, who he sarcastically described as being ‘their more than normal, helpful selves’ for refusing to intervene or offer advice, citing the fact it was ‘a contractual matter with the JCQ.’

In desperation, he said he appealed to neighbouring private school, Westholme School in Blackburn, who agreed to allow Moorland pupils to sit their exams as ‘external candidates’ on their site.

Mr Harrison added: ‘Our Year 11 students, parents and school have been left without support in a highly stressed and anxious state. Fortunately, our friends at Westholme have acted with class, responsibility, integrity and care, which is more than can be said from the very authorities with regulatory and contractual responsibilities of duties of care for young men and women. There inactions, policies and responses have shown no concern or worry for children’s futures and mental health. Indeed, my own son is in the Year 11 cohort and so we are and have been as equally affected, and as equally desperate to resolve the situation for our Moorland Family.’

Last year, Moorland School’s GCSE pass rate was 88 per cent – well above the national average of 67.6 per cent.

However, in September it was criticised by inspectors for failing to fulfil its responsibilities to boarding pupils. They said accommodation, food, toilet and washing facilities, risk assessments and staff training was insufficient or lacking and standards relating to leadership, management and governance were not being met. The report also said all pupils were not being taught personal, social, health and economic education or sex education, so are ‘not being effectively prepared for life in the outside world.’