Scotland’s oldest boarding school has failed the charity test applied by the Scottish regulator and been ordered to broaden access to its services, but eight other fee-paying schools have passed.
Loretto School, just outside of Edinburgh, has been ordered to broaden its charitable benefit within 18 months in order to retain its charitable status.
The decision by OSCR came as it reviewed a total of nine fee-paying schools, the third instalment of reviews of schools – an area identified by the regulator as a ‘priority group’ and which it hopes to address by next summer. In its last batch of reviews of fee-paying schools, one of six schools failed the test.
In its report on Loretto, OSCR determined that “access to the benefit the charity provides is unduly restricted, and therefore [OSCR] considers that the public benefit element of the charity test is not met”.
Fees for a senior day student at the school run to £6,840 per year and over £9,500 for senior boarders. While the school offers scholarships and bursaries, OSCR argued that the level of the fees levied “are substantial and represent a restriction on accessing the benefit the charity provides”.
On an estate of more than 85 acres the school educates more than 600 boys and girls between the ages of three and 18. It also includes a Golf Academy.
Head of registration Martin Tyson said that the regulator was undertaking the reviews in order to ensure that public trust in charities remains strong.
“As a regulator we must ensure that charities provide public benefit as set out in the legislation. We have established this process as part of our ongoing work,” Tyson said.
“Our experience to date is that, where we have issued directions to widen access, the schools have taken the necessary steps and thereby retain charitable status.”
Loretto School 'disapppointed but confident'
Loretto School director of external relations Jonathan Hewat acknowledged the OSCR direction and said the school will be working with the regulator.
“We are naturally disappointed by this outcome but strongly believe that, by working with OSCR, we can satisfy the requirements of their charities test within the prescribed timescale. We are looking carefully into OSCR's report with a view to meeting the charity test as soon as possible,” he said.
“We shall continue to perform our main charitable function, which is to provide an excellent education for boys and girls. We are committed to providing means-tested bursaries whenever we can, and we shall continue to increase this support to families who need it most."
OSCR today also announced the names of a further eight schools it will be investigating in its fourth batch of reviews of fee-paying schools. It announced in September last year that it would be reviewing 40 fee-paying schools.
