Private school that suddenly closed after 'misconduct' allegations burns down
Fernhill School shut suddenly in June - a day before originally planned - with no explanation
A former private school that closed suddenly amid a ‘misconduct’ investigation has been damaged by fire.
Emergency services remained at the scene of the incident at Fernhill School, in South Lanarkshire, on Saturday afternoon.
Six fire engines and specialist resources were sent to the Rutherglen Catholic school at about 8.50pm on Friday.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said there had been no report of any casualties.
Fernhill School was due to close at the end of term in June but the provisional liquidator announced the closure would be brought forward 24 hours, sparking "mass hysteria", according to one parent.
A fun day that had been planned for the final day of term was cancelled and there were difficult scenes as parents tried to stop staff appointed by accountancy firm WBG from removing items.
OSCR, the charity regulator, had raised "misconduct" concerns over how the school, which opened in1972, had been run.
Reports on social media suggested fireworks had been going off inside the empty building ahead of the fire breaking out.
A local resident is reported to have called the fire service.
Local MSP Clare Haughey said: "I’m absolutely devastated to hear about the fire at Fernhill School site.
"An historic local building with so much of a local connection.”
When the closure was announced, Fernhill’s management urged parents not to remove its pupils early.
It emerged that trustees had breached their financial duties and had not submitted annual financial accounts to the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) since the year ending July 2022, instead filing unaudited accounts for a dormant firm.
Filings with Companies House showed Bell Barr & Co, the auditors of the corporate entity behind the school, resigned in October last year after they were “unable to obtain an explanation” from the board of directors as to why the unaudited dormant company accounts were being submitted.
In 2014 parents had raised the funds needed to keep Fernhill open but this time there was little appetite to rescue the school.
OSCR said the Catholic school had not responded to previous correspondence seeking an explanation of its financial position.
Fernhill’s website lists three directors of its board, but one of them, Stephen Marsh, resigned in May 2024, according to Companies House records.
The other directors, Giuseppe Marini, 55, and David Equi, 61, are listed as having “significant influence or control” over Fernhill School Ltd.
Mr Marini, was a former managing director of Tony Macaroni, and Mr Equi, owns the eponymous ice cream firm.
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