A £7,500-a-term boarding school has gone into liquidation after failing to secure a buyer.

Doomed Newlands School in Seaford has been trying to attract an investor since February.

After nobody came forward, accountancy firm Harris Lipman moved in to liquidate the school.

Newlands was Seaford’s last mainstream boarding school and has been plagued with financial problems in recent years. It closed on July 10.

Martin Atkins and Freddy Khalastchi were appointed as the liquidators of the school.

They said the situation was “unfortunate and regrettable”.

Mr Atkins said: “Substantial efforts were made in the six months leading up to the closure to find a buyer, but a suitable purchaser could not be found, which is indicative of the private sector market in that area of the country.

“However, we remain hopeful that a third party will step forward and secure the jobs of the school’s staff.” A support group, Newlands School Development Group (NSDG), had been trying to rally support to keep the pupils at the school, but they were forced to admit defeat.

A statement on the group’s website said: “It has been decided that due to the complexities and the unknowns – parents, buildings, staff – with the current situation, a new independent school or nursery is not a likely option.

“Given that this was the last path for us to explore, we as NSDG have come to the conclusion that we have no further roles to play.

“After making our best efforts to secure continuation in every manner we thought viable we have decided by unanimous decision of the members present to dissolve the group.

“It is with sadness that we do so.”

The school previously faced closure in 2006 but was saved thanks to the generosity of two of the parents.

In 2009, a recession-hit Newlands went into administration and had to piece together a deal to save it from closure.