THE prestigious North Foreland Lodge school in Sherfield-on-Loddon is to close at the end of the academic year - unless a buyer or financial partner can be found.

Staff and pupils at the £5,000-a-term boarding school were given letters this week informing them of the decision, following a dramatic fall in the number of girls on the school roll.

The establishment is said to be costing more than £40,000 a week to run.

The operation of North Foreland Lodge was taken over by Gordonstoun Schools in March last year when there were 160 students. At the time, the figure was set to fall to about 120, as pupils took exams and left.

But the school roll has now dropped to below 60, as there has been a national decline in single-sex boarding schools.

A spokeswoman for Gordonstoun Schools said: "It will be closing at the end of term. We have been working very hard to keep NFL going.

"When we took over NFL, it was already in tremendous debt. The numbers have now fallen to fewer than 60 and the building and staff are actually costing us in excess of £40,000 a week."

The spokeswoman added that, by the end of August this year, £3million would have been spent on North Foreland by Gordonstoun Schools following the merger.

One parent of a student at the school - who did not wish to be named - described the pending closure as a "disgraceful situation".

He said the school had suffered financial problems for a number of years.

"Now the girls have to find somewhere else and all the staff will be made redundant at the end of next term, which is July," he said.

The school has more than 30 full-time teaching staff, plus a number of part-time and administrative staff. It was founded in 1909 and originally located in Broadstairs, Kent, moving to its present site in 1947.

Pupils and staff welcomed a very special person in 2001, when J K Rowling - famous author of the popular Harry Potter books - paid a visit after the school staged a play based on the stories to raise funds for the NSPCC.

The school spokeswoman added: "We are totally committed to finding someone to come into partnership with us, or indeed take ownership of running the school."

She stressed they would only be interested in someone who would ensure continuation of education on the site.