Furious parents who are putting their children to bed “in tears” have accused a closing school of putting economic interests ahead of its pupils.

The trust in charge of Redcourt St Anselm’s Preparatory School announced last week that the Oxton-based centre would close after December 31, with management blaming struggling finances.

But a 2,500-word open letter penned by aggrieved parents and seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service has claimed the decision was made in order to sell the site and raise cash for Edmund Rice Schools England, the trust in charge.

READ>Parents devastated after Redcourt St Anselm's Preparatory School announces closure

They have criticised the school for reportedly telling Wirral Council to expect “an influx of 110 displaced children”, also urging bosses to meet with them in a bid to ultimately reverse the closure.

Thirty-three parent signatories who claim to represent the “majority view” of the school’s community, say they have been left “without answers” or an opportunity to challenge the decision.

Addressed to Roisin Maguire, director of the trust, the letter said: “We have put our children to bed in tears, saying that they love school and do not want to leave.

“This situation is incomprehensible to a child. A decision has been made by faceless, remote Christian Brothers in Ireland, quite happy to take money from hard-working parents, year after year, when times were good, but unprepared to help the school weather the storm of a falling roll, or assist it in remodelling so that it is fit for the future.”

The letter slammed the Oxton-based school for making decisions “behind closed doors with little or no thought of the impact it would have”.

It continued: “We are not wealthy families. Every day we make sacrifices to enable us to continue to send our children to Redcourt. We spend long hours at work, away from our children, to enable us to pay for this education. That is not a choice we have made lightly.

“The bricks and mortar of Redcourt, its grounds, play and classroom equipment belong not just to the Trustees but to all of us who have paid our fees and contributed to the PTA over many years. We all share an interest in Redcourt and have every right to be involved in the determination of its future.”

Redcourt is a non-selective, independent school, catering for pupils aged three to 11.

It has been contacted for further comment by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, but in its statement last week, it described “great regret” at the decision to close.

The statement said: “In making their decision the Trustees have focused on the varied challenges, which the school community has faced in recent years, in particular with regard to finances.

“This has been an incredibly difficult decision and one not taken lightly.

“The Trustees would wish to acknowledge the commitment of parents, governors and staff of Redcourt and would wish to thank all those involved who have served and committed their time, in the interests of ensuring the children have received an excellent education.”

But according to the open letter by parents, families were “utterly devastated and shocked” at the news and disappointed they were “left outside of the decision making process”.

It added that even before the news, parents had withdrawn their children from the school due to the uncertainty, and that the decision was made after the local authority schools admissions cycle had finished.

It added: “We cannot comprehend how a large, charitable organisation, supposedly experienced in the management of schools […] can have timed this decision in such a spectacularly cavalier fashion.”

Angry parents claim all trustees did was tell Wirral Council to expect “an influx of 110 displaced children”, adding that this was an “unacceptable response”.

“Everything about this decision – the way it was made, the speed of execution, the lack of planning, the failure to consult, the inadequacy of notice – smacks of a decision made in haste and with only one objective – to realise cash from the sale of the site, rather than any attempt to preserve Redcourt School as a going concern,” it said.

It added: “We believe that the delivery of the decision was designed to create a panic so that parents would focus on trying to find new school places for their children urgently, leaving little time for us to regroup and consider whether there are other options available to the Redcourt community.”

In the letter, parents also demand that a number of documents and minutes that led to the closure are provided by the school, and that an open meeting is held next week between Ms Maguire and parents.