Planning for the Future

13 March 2019

Dear Parents,

I am writing today to tell you about an opportunity for us to secure the work of Heritage School on our current site. Our landlords informed us recently that they have decided to sell 17-19 Brookside. It could be put on the market in mid to late April. We will continue to operate under the terms of our current lease, meaning we can remain on our site for at least another two and a half years.

We are working hard to pull together a strong purchase offer (Plan A). We acted immediately to begin organising finance. We have spoken to banks, friendly investors, potential donors and charitable trusts who share our vision, both in the UK and also in the US. The response has been encouraging. We commissioned Bidwells to undertake a valuation for us and to act on our behalf in negotiations.

Another option would be to enter into a long-term lease with a new landlord (Plan B). We are in conversation with supporters who are actively considering this as a long-term investment. Signing a new long-term lease with us could be appealing to other prospective buyers as well.

If a new owner did not want us to remain on site we might need to move to alternative premises by August 2021, i.e. after two more academic years. Against that unlikely possibility, we are also investigating alternative sites (Plan C) with support from Bidwells. There are some excellent options under consideration which could open up new opportunities for us.

We understand how important it is to clarify where the school will be operating in the future, so you can plan for your child(ren) accordingly. We would encourage you to adopt a ‘wait and see’ approach. During the Summer Term we expect to have considerably more information about the long-term outlook and we will keep you regularly informed of significant developments. For more information please refer in the first instance to the accompanying document Brookside Sale: Questions and Answers.

In addition, I would be very happy to meet with you individually if you would find that helpful. Please contact Carrie Baker in the School Office to make an appointment with me, or alternatively with Tom Amies, our Chair of Trustees. Catriona Buchanan, our Bursar, is also available should you wish to meet with her (c.buchanan@heritageschool.org.uk), as is Cecilia Amies, who handles our communications (c.amies@heritageschool.org.uk).

We have come a long way since the school was founded in 2007 and are very positive about the possibilities before us. Please be assured that we are more committed than ever to this important work with your children.

Thank you for your support.

Yours faithfully,

J W Fletcher

Headmaster