Pupils at a girls’ independent school were due to hold a protest this week after being told it is to shut just as the new term is about to begin.

Unions said that Commonweal Lodge, the secondary section of Lodge School in Purley, south London, will close because of financial problems due to the recession.

It is believed that the infant and junior sections will be sold to schools chain Cognita and will remain open. Around 71 pupils will be without a school after the closure and girls who are entering the second year of A-levels have been left searching for places where they can carry on their subjects.