Enhancing Educational Excellence: 

Kingswood Bath School’s Strategic Financial Recovery

Kingswood Bath School in Bath is a prestigious independent private day and boarding school. Founded in 1748, it is the world's oldest Methodist educational institution known for its rich history and academic excellence. Kingswood provides a nurturing environment for students aged 9 months to 18 years and is renowned for its strong emphasis on academic achievement, character development, and a wide range of extracurricular activities, including sports, arts, and music. 

The challenge 

Despite Kingswood Bath's strong reputation and successful educational programs, the institution faced significant financial management challenges. The finance team was overwhelmed with managing outstanding payments from various stakeholders, including tuition fees. This situation strained the school’s cash flow and administrative resources, posing a risk to the seamless operation of its educational and extracurricular programs. 

Our approach 

Recommended to Kingswood Bath by the Methodist Independent Schools Trust, Redwood Collections was appointed to recover a number of substantial unpaid fee accounts. Following a detailed audit of the school’s debtor history, our team engaged directly with parents and guardians, adopting a measured yet firm approach to clarify payment terms and address reasons for delay.

One case involved a married couple who initially denied liability and claimed we had contacted the wrong household. Within the same month the husband was declared bankrupt, however, as both parties had signed the original fee agreement, liability remained with each of them individually. This enabled us to continue pursuing the wife for the outstanding amount. She proposed a low monthly repayment which due to the scale of the arrears, was understandably rejected by the school. With our guidance, the school proposed a more suitable repayment plan including a six-monthly review, which was ultimately accepted by the debtor.

Our tailored and professional approach allowed Kingswood Bath to retain control of the situation without compromising its reputation or relationships with parents.

Outcome 

Thanks to our firm yet considerate approach, we brought a long-outstanding balance back into active repayment, avoiding the need to write it off. By asserting the school’s legal position and facilitating a more appropriate repayment plan, we secured a resolution that protected the Kingswood Bath School's financial interests without escalating unnecessary conflict. Our involvement not only strengthened cash flow but also relieved the internal finance team of a complex and time-consuming case, allowing them to refocus on managing resources more effectively.