‘History repeats’: School closures spark growing fears over special needs support

Pupils at Oldhill – one of the schools at risk of closure.

Hackney parents and teachers whose schools are facing closure next year say they are concerned about a lack of a clear plan for vulnerable children with special needs.

In September the Town Hall announced plans to shut up to four primary schools in the borough by the end of August 2025 due to dwindling pupil numbers and budget deficits.

New proposals could see the merging of Sir Thomas Abney and Holmleigh Primary, and Oldhill and Harrington Hill Primary respectively, while St. Dominic’s and St. Mary’s would permanently close their doors.

The council has promised families that there are enough school places within the borough should it move ahead with the closures, but it has drawn severe criticisms from those fearful of the impact on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

“It’s very scary for the parents,” says one teacher at Oldhill primary in Stoke Newington, who wished to remain anonymous.

The Town Hall’s first stated option was to merge Oldhill with Clapton’s Harrington Hill, which would see the latter’s cohort double from one to two forms, with 60 children per year group.

Under this plan, Oldhill’s alternative resource provision (ARP) unit would be moved to Harrington Hill.

If the merger does not go ahead, the council plans to shut Oldhill and its ARP, but move resources to another local school where SEND pupils could attend.

The teacher argued that not only could the Town Hall’s proposals could see those vulnerable pupils segregated from their classmates, the management of the transition itself makes little sense for either plan.

“They’ve said they are going to give priority for those children with EHCPs and who are in the ARP priority to go to The Garden and Ickburgh special schools, but these are already oversubscribed, so there’s no place for these children.

“In the mean-time, they have encouraged parents to apply to ‘any’ school, but  parents have argued that not every school can meet the complex needs of some pupils, so council officers said they will ask them if they can make an allowance.

“There is no plan. The reality is that [they] are actually leaving our most vulnerable students destitute, with nothing but a promise,” she said.

An EHCP, or Educational Health and Care Plan, is a legal document that entitles a child or young person with more complex educational needs to more support than the basic school offering.

Mainstream schools and colleges can spend up to £6,000 on each child with these additional needs from within their own budget, according to government guidance.

St. Dominic’s teacher Carly Slingsby, who is also an organiser for National Education Union (NEU), says the council’s approach to the closures exposes deeper problems.

“Last year, was we spoke lot about their lack of foresight in terms of how they’re looking after SEN pupils, and unfortunately it’s just repeating history.

“For instance, around 35 per cent of our school’s intake is SEND, which is way higher than the national average. This is similar to other schools that have also been put on the list, such as Oldhill.

“Hackney has promised to increase SEND provision because they are spending a ton of money sending these children to private schools out of borough.

“Rather than looking at these half-filled schools and thinking ‘Oh, great, we’ve got space,  let’s think about what we can do with it, let’s have some dual purpose institutions’, they’re just closing more and more spaces down.”

In 2021, the council’s SEND strategy document stated that the local authority would increase its local special provision by 2025, enabling more children and young people to go to school locally in their communities.

Oldhill teacher Jose Fernandez, an NEU member whose son has an EHCP, echoed general doubts about the merger and the danger to special needs support.

“There’s no space. It’s not like a box of shoes that you move from one place to another. There needs to be proper thinking about how to do it.”

He suggests Oldhill’s 120 SEN pupils (of which 38 have additional needs) will struggle to get the right help under either of the council’s option, as the extra budget afforded to them is already lacking.

“If a child with an EHCP is in a classroom of 30 children, the school won’t have resources for that. Normally you have one teacher and one teaching assistant for a classroom, but now they’re going to have 10 children with special needs.

“The school is in deficit because the money they give for special needs children is never enough. Our cohort is 60 per cent special needs, and the schools are forced to rely on agency workers so theat they have the numbers to look after those children.”

“Wherever these children go, because of the system is like this, there will be a deficit.”

The council has said SEND key workers will be providing direct support to the families of children with EHCPs to identify another school that can meet their needs.

Cllr Antoinette Bramble, deputy mayor of Hackney and cabinet member for education, young people and children’s social care, said:

“We understand that these proposed school changes cause concern and sadness amongst our community. We would not have decided to consult on these changes if we didn’t feel they were necessary. 

“We know that disruptions such as these proposed changes can be especially difficult for our most vulnerable families, and we’re committed to listening and continuing to support them through the process.

“However, we believe that acting now is essential to maintain the quality of education in Hackney and prevent the negative consequences of insufficient funding from spreading further.

“We will continue to work together with our schools to provide the necessary support for staff and families impacted by the proposals, prioritising our most vulnerable children.”

The council told the Citizen that as a result of a string of school closures at the end of the last school year, it is reviewing the possibility of repurposing one empty building as a special school.

A Town Hall spokesperson said “this would help us meet the growing demand that we have seen in recent years and deliver our vision for excellent, inclusive and equitable education for all”.

“The council is working closely with the schools included in the proposals to provide information and assistance for families and children during the process, including advice and guidance on how to apply to change schools and ensuring extra support for students with SEND,” the spokesperson added.

The consultation period for the school closures, in which the public has a forum to share views and feedback on the proposals, ends on Tuesday 19 November.

The Citizen understands that parents and staff are planning a new demonstration outside the Town Hall from 4.30pm tomorrow.