Education ministry confirms closure of Castelldefels' Sant Ferran school

The Catalan education ministry has confirmed the "owners' final will" to close down Sant Ferran College (Col·legi Sant Ferran) in Castelldefels, south of Barcelona, at the end of the academic year.

The school's owners informed the families of the 314 enrolled students of their intentions, arguing that new enrollments in the youngest age groups have decreased. However, families who oppose the closure have highlighted that several year groups in the school—which caters for pupils aged 3 to 16—are full.

Meanwhile, the education department has reminded school owners that they must file the closure announcement document, which they have not yet made.

Owners did not ask authorities if the education center could join the public network, Xavier Güell, head of semi-private and private schools, told journalists. The owners plan to close the center and have not "thought at all" about potential alternatives.

On Thursday, the ministry was "informally" notified about the closure, called for a meeting, and asked not to inform the families yet. But, on Friday, the school owners announced their plans to the students' parents.

Sant Ferran College is a semi-private 'concertada' school funded by fees and public funds. 

The city council had already said it was "totally against the closure of any school in Castelldefels." The department and local authorities will now jointly study where to relocate the students before the next academic year.

Sant Ferran College was founded in 1970 and educates students from I3 to the 4th year of ESO.

Around thirty employees work there, between teaching staff and other contracted staff, according to union sources.

The school's director, Viviana Luna, told the Catalan News Agency (ACN) they were unaware of the news beforehand.

"At the end of the day, they have private funding and are free to not wanting to make new investments to guarantee the future of the center," Luna said, considering the "huge competition" among the three other concertades in Castelldefels and the drop in the birth rate across Catalonia.