School beats its financial problems

A private school that faced economic collapse three years ago is back in profit.

Brigidine School in Kings Road, Windsor underwent a series of painful changes after losing money every year

except one between 2004 and 2010. But over the last year it has managed a healthy £200,000 surplus.

The traditional role of headteacher has been split into two. Newcomer Devon Walker took over as director of education in September and Dawn Fleming - who has been at the school two years - was promoted to director of business affairs.

It has been a deliberate attempt to separate the education and business side of the school, although the two will work closely together.

Mr Walker comes to the school with wide experience that has included an assistant headteachership in England and an 11 year tenure as headteacher at a school in Jamaica.

He said: "Problems can arise when a headteacher becomes so bogged down in the business side of things he can't fully concentrate on education, or he may want something so much he does not take the cost into account."

Mrs Fleming's job will be to keep a firm eye on the financial side of things. She left a successful career in the business world to take over at Brigidine's after her own daughter became a pupil there.

She said: "She went from someone expected to get D grades to an A* pupil and I decided I wanted to put something back into the school."

The school now takes 165 pupils aged from two to 18 and has expanded to teach evening classes to adults and

provide breakfast and evening clubs for children of busy working parents - all of which has helped get it back on an even financial keel.