A school in Malvern has coughed up thousands in 'unpaid' council tax after being threatened with legal action. 

Abbey College was due to appear in court on Friday, December 3 after a complaint from Malvern Hills District Council for a non-payment of £3,162.40 in tax and costs.

However, action was withdrawn by the council before the hearing could take place as the school paid the amount which had been summonsed in full.

Despite this, the school still maintains the case had been brought forward in error and there has been no wrongdoing on their part.

College principal Daniel Booker said the council had 'ignored the facts' when submitting the order, insisting the school was rightfully entitled to a tax exemption during the pandemic.

He said: "We are still firmly of the view that the council is mistaken in their interpretation of rebates available to colleges during the pandemic.

"The amount has been paid "without prejudice" and we are awaiting further clarification from the relevant government departments on this matter."

The majority of England's private schools enjoy at least 80 per cent tax relief.

This is due to their status as registered charities.

During the Covid pandemic, Abbey College offered free places to the children of NHS staff to make up for their education being affected.

Up to 30 free places were offered, worth £500,000 in fees, in its day school to NHS staff working locally so their children could catch up on the education they had missed.

In addition, in 2020, the Department for Education published figures that showed that out of 4,470 schools offering A levels, Abbey College was ranked number one in the country where students had made the greatest progress and achieved top value-added scores.

The application for the council tax liability order was withdrawn before the scheduled hearing at Worcester Justice Centre on Friday, December 3.

*A previous version of this article said the application was withdrawn after a court hearing. This was not the case.