The credit crunch has led to a “massive surge” in parents being pursued for unpaid school fees, according to the leading firm of lawyers representing independent schools.

Barney Northover, head of education services at Veale Wasbrough, which represents 700 private schools, said it was increasingly having to take parents to court, call in bailiffs and even make defaulters bankrupt to recover fees.

He said: “Since last July there has been a massive upsurge in the number of instructions we are getting for unpaid school fees. If fees aren’t paid, we’ll take it all the way in terms of making people bankrupt over debt.

“It is either because lots of people aren’t paying, or that schools get in there quicker by referring cases. The reality is that there is an affordability issue for some parents. Quite a few people in the property industry are now the sort of people struggling to pay fees.”

The financial squeeze on parents is also feeding through to pressure on schools, many of which are receiving fewer applicants as well as facing rising costs. About 6% of pupils are educated in the independent sector.

According to research published last week by The Good Schools Guide, almost one in five private schools has suffered a 10% or more drop in pupils in the past four years.

At least seven schools are closing and dozens more are struggling. Those closing include Wentworth college in Bournemouth, Dorset and Wispers school in Haslemere, Surrey. Four preparatory schools are also shutting their doors – Westbrook House in Folkestone, Kent; Sandhurst school in Worthing, West Sussex; Dorchester preparatory school in Dorset; and Fawkham House school in West Kingsdown, Kent.

Claudia Watts, 17, head girl at Wentworth, who is halfway through her A-level studies, is desperately trying to find a place at a new school before term begins in September. She said: “I was in shock, I couldn’t believe it.”

Northover said one in 10 private schools in Britain was facing financial difficulties.