Furious parents and former pupils have launched an angry backlash against the shock closure of a cash-strapped school.

Families said they were appalled by the governing body of St Mary's Hall, in Eastern Road, Brighton, who abruptly announced the closure as a "done deal" on Tuesday without consulting them or warning that anything was wrong.

They were angry they only found out anything was happening through phone calls from tearful children who were told along with staff during an assembly.

Former pupils of the independent girls school were also outraged the move was made behind closed doors and threatened legal action, questioning whether the deal had breached its charitable constitution.

They raised fears that prestigious Roedean, which will take over the school site, had swapped St Mary's £2 million debts for a piece of land they could sell for millions more.

Taxi driver David Wertans, from Brighton, who will have to find a new place for his daughter Emily, 13, said: "My daughter has been there since she was three and now she's going to lose all her friends. It has broken her heart.

"We trusted these people with her education and this is how they have handled it. It is a disgrace."

The governors of 173-year-old St Mary's said on Tuesday they were struggling financially and had agreed with nearby Roedean for it to take over from September.

Both the 100 pupil junior school and the 200 pupil senior school will continue until the summer. From September Roedean will rebrand the junior section as its own and continue to operate it on the Eastern Road site. It will offer places at its own rates to all current children.

It will also drop its usual entry tests to offer senior school places at its famous Marine Drive buildings to all St Mary's senior girls. Some will be offered discounts.

Several parents have described the move as a sham, saying few pupils will actually move to Roedean.

Many said they could not afford the fees Roedean had quoted them and they did not want to send their daughters to the school, which has a more austere reputation than St Mary's.

They added that Roedean had not matched the bursaries which have enabled many pupils to attend St Mary's.

The only other all-girls independent school in the city, Brighton and Hove High, in Denmark Terrace, has been setting up extra tours this week following a surge of interest in places.

Joseph Letang, who has 12-year-old twin daughters at St Mary's, said: "Roedean has acquired St Mary's Hall for no purchase price and will mainly only take St Mary's Hall girls willing to pay Roedean's higher fees.

"The deal was done without giving parents, pupils or government any say in the matter or opportunity to consider other options for survival, such as parents raising money and paying extra fees.

"Parents and pupils were the last to know. This was simply a superb business opportunity for Roedean which it snapped up. It then made its announcement without thought for the sensitivities of those most affected."

One former St Mary's pupil, who asked not to be named, said the old girls group, the St Mary's Hall Association, was distraught their cherished school would be lost.

She said the association had not been consulted despite having a seat on the governing council and was angry the hundreds of thousands it had raised for various building projects was being given away.

Roedean headmistress Frances King yesterday said the announcement had been made on the day the contract was signed. She said the deal had been formally agreed on February 11.

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