Complex sentence: The many preparatory schools and other independent schools were the main employers in the town, although many such as Ladycross School were closed and the land used for new housing estates in the last decades of the 20th century.
Split into simpler sentences: The many preparatory schools and other independent schools were the main employers in the town. Most of these independent schools, such as Ladycross School were closed and the land used for new housing estates in the last decades of the 20th century.