LLANDOVERY COLLEGE has paid out settlements totalling in excess of tens of thousands of pounds to former staff with grievances over the course of the last year.
One of Wales’ oldest independent schools, the college was last week involved in an employment tribunal with its former head of history, who had a claim for unfair dismissal upheld, with the school ordered to pay the claimant £15,000 following a hearing in Cardiff.
Claims made by the school’s nurse and former bursar were settled before tribunal, and a case brought by the college’s former head of preparatory school was settled out of court for an agreement thought to be in excess of £30,000, with numerous other cases still pending.
The news comes four years after the school’s future was firmly in doubt after racking up debts in the region of £4m, which resulted in its operating company being shut down and all 100 staff being transferred to the new company, launched as Llandovery College Wales Ltd in summer 2012.
This period of upheaval saw the college’s staff going without pay, and parents of those who attended the school were asked to stump up a loan in the region of £1,000 to ensure the college survived in the short term.
Despite intense speculation and fears locally that the college would close its doors once and for all, it managed to maintain its pupil numbers and even expanded to accommodate younger children.
It is thought that a promise to staff of pay rises had caused problems for the school, yet the college has denied any financial crisis and dismissed links to 2012, stating that the severity is nowhere near that level.
However only last year the school was forced to deny funding concerns, with Governors issuing a letter to parents which said that the school was ‘working hard’ to address the finances and management issues.
The school is one of Wales’ most prestigious and oldest private schools and was founded and endowed by surgeon Thomas Phillips in 1847 to provide a classical and liberal education in which the Welsh language, the study of Welsh literature and history, were to be cultivated.
It has since gone on to become synonymous with sporting excellence, in particular in rugby. The second captain of the Welsh national team, Charles Lewis, represented Llandovery College and was the first Wales captain to lead a team in the Home Nations Championship, since then the college has produced more than 40 internationals.
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