Parents react to proposed primary school closures

De Beauvoir Primary School, which is at risk of closure. Photograph: Julia Gregory, free for use by partners of BBC news wire service

Parents were left saddened and upset at the risk of closure of a “lovely” Hackney primary school because of falling pupil numbers.

De Beauvoir Primary School is one of two which could be at risk of closure next September.

Gathering at the school gate, parents were stunned by the news De Beauvoir Primary and Randal Cremer Primary School in Ormsby Street could close in September 2024 because of falling school rolls.

One De Beauvoir mother said: “It’s so sad, it’s a lovely school, it’s a really good school.”

She was still digesting the letter from the school which sets out the proposals and potential timeline for meetings with the school, and consultations.

She hoped parents could try and challenge the proposals.

Other parents only learnt of the proposals as they collected their children from school and the news had not sunk in yet.

Some parents were upset by the plans.

The schools are holding drop-in sessions for parents this week before the Easter holiday and the council wanted to reassure parents there will be places available for children elsewhere in Hackney.

Council proposals also include merging Colvestone Primary School and Princess May Primary School onto the Princess May site, and merging Baden Powell Primary School and Nightingale Primary School onto the Nightingale site, in September 2024.

The moves could see nearly 200 jobs at risk warned Hackney’s head of   education and inclusion, Paul Senior. He said it was too early to say how many could be affected.

Overall, the six schools have lost more than £4m in government funding which is linked to the number of pupils.

The six affected schools have seen a rise from six out of 270 empty reception places in 2014,  to 101 out of 225 in 2022.

Mr Senior said along with the effect of families moving out because of Brexit or the cost of housing, the impact of free schools has affected the number of pupils taking up places at the council-run primaries.

He said there is scope in other schools to provide places for children and to try and avoid separating friendship groups or year groups.

A priority would be keeping siblings together if the proposals go ahead.

Deputy mayor Anntoinette Bramble stressed the proposals were no reflection on the performance and standards at any of the schools.

She said: “It’s really important to say that this is not the fault of any individual schools that we are in this place.”

Cllr Bramble, who is a former primary school teacher, said it was a difficult decision but “we want to be able to stabilise and maintain the strong system of education”.

She said people have an “emotional attachment” to schools with many staff serving generations of children over decades but said the pattern of falling school rolls in Hackney is “not sustainable” with 634 surplus reception places out of 2,900, compared with just ten in 2014.

Overall Hackney’s 58 council primary schools in Hackney are getting  £30m less in funding because of falling school rolls.

Cllr Bramble said: “I can’t express the consequences of Hackney having £30m less of funding for our schools.”

Schools have already cut class sizes to reduce costs, and Cllr Bramble wrote to the Department of Education asking for more funding and power to manage school places in free schools and academies to pool places. She said the two per cent increase in government funds  per pupil “is simply not enough”.

She explained that, if the plans go ahead, there are ways to help children with the transition to new schools, such as sleepovers or “swap classes”.

She added: “No decisions have yet been made, but the proposal to consult on these plans will go before cabinet at the end of May. A final decision on the proposed closures and mergers is likely in December.”

Update: this article was amended at 11.30 on 29 March 2023 to include an additional quote from Cllr Anntoinette Bramble.