Selwyn House Boarding House To Close At The End Of Year

The Selwyn House School Board of Trustees has announced to its school community that it will be permanently closing the on-site Boarding House as of 13 December 2024 (the end of the 2024 school year).

Board Chair, Julian Daly, said the difficult decision to close the Boarding House was made following a comprehensive review.

“The Boarding House has been an important and valued part of Selwyn House for the last 89 years. Unfortunately, the Boarding House has run at a significant financial loss for a number of years now, despite an increase in boarding student numbers.

“While the financial position of the school overall is very sound and has allowed us to support the running of the Boarding House over recent years, this could not continue indefinitely. The review showed that, even when the Boarding House is operating at full occupancy, it would not be able to financially sustain itself. The Board has therefore made the decision that it believes is most prudent for the future of the school as a whole and that will put us in a position to invest further in the school in the future, for the benefit of all Selwyn House students,” Mr Daly said.

Four permanent positions in the Boarding House and kitchen will be disestablished as a result of the closure and a consultation process is currently underway with those staff, including consideration of any redeployment opportunities that may be available.

“It is the impact on these staff and on the boarding families that has made this decision a particularly difficult one. Our Boarding House is relatively small and feels like a second family for all of those who board and work there. Although 70 percent of our current boarding students are going to be finishing in the Boarding House at the end of this year anyway, that does not lessen the impact on this tight-knit community who are understandably upset by the news,” Mr Daly said.

“We know that the closure of the Boarding House is a sad end to an important chapter in our school’s history, but we also look ahead with great confidence for the ongoing success of Selwyn House as a leading school for girls in Years 1 to 8 and co-educational pre-school.”

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