Parents impacted by the sudden closure of Moorland School are being directed to a company that has not been officially appointed as the liquidators, the firm has said.
Private school Moorland, in Clitheroe, informed parents and teachers on Wednesday it would be shutting its doors on Friday, March 28, citing financial strains.
The shock announcement left parents frantically trying to contact former proprietor and headteacher Jonathan Harrison, but they were redirected to consultancy firm Begbies Traynor Group.
However, the business said it has not been formally appointed and is therefore unable to provide any information to parents, further adding to the confusion.
A spokesperson from the firm said: “Begbies Traynor has not been formally appointed as office holders in the matter of Moorland Private School Limited.
“We were informed yesterday of Mr Harrison’s resignation, and it appears he has passed the responsibilities of running the school to others, and provided our contact details to parents and other parties.
“Until we are provided with the required information to enable our formal appointment as liquidators, we are not able to provide any information as we cannot assess the situation.
“In the meantime, we would suggest you direct any enquiries to the Bursar's office or the directors of the company until a formal appointment is made.
“We have every sympathy with the parents and students at Moorland School, and if we are formally appointed, we will make every effort to share information with affected parties as soon as possible.
"Until then, we are unable to make any further comment."
The company also explained that in prior conversations with Mr Harrison, he said he was working with other schools and parents to transfer students to ensure their education continued.
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A letter sent out to parents said it was working with Westholme School in Blackburn to "explore the option of administering examinations" for those students facing GCSE exams this summer.
Westholme School declined to comment on the situation.
In August 2024, the school used the same liquidator as it split Moorland School Limited into three different entities for the nursery, primary and secondary.
Moorland Private School, as it was known, was established more than 100 years ago and provides education for children from three months to 18 years old from Lancashire and around the world.
Attempts to contact Jonathan Harrison were unsuccessful, with the Moorland School main telephone number dialling out unanswered.
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