‘Disgusting’: Parents accuse rival faith school of trying to ‘poach’ children as council plans spark ‘bunfight’

A banner outside St. Dominic’s Primary School in Homerton. Photograph: courtesy Carly Slingsby

Hackney Council has been urged to intervene over a “hostile environment” emerging from its plans to shut schools, as parents accuse one academy of trying to “poach” their children.

Last week, parents at St. Dominic’s Catholic Primary School complained to the Town Hall that, whilst the council was consulting on its planned closures, another faith school in the borough was engaging in “competitive, vulture-like activities”.

A letter sent by parents to Mayor Caroline Woodley reported that, on 22 November, staff from St. Monica’s Roman Catholic Primary and its multi-academy trust flocked to the gates of St Dominic’s with flyers “trying to encourage our parents to leave our school and attend [theirs]”.

“This is outrageous behaviour considering we have banners outside of our school encouraging the community to help us save the school, and the consultation hasn’t come to a close,” they wrote.

Carly Slingsby, a parent and organiser for the National Education Union (NEU), said the situation had become a “full-on bunfight” and slammed the “disgusting tactics to try and poach our kids”.

“There’s no Catholic allyship,” she said.

Parents alleged that the group was sent to their school on the orders of St Monica’s executive head, Mrs Amanda Ruthven.

When approached by the Citizen, a spokesperson for St Monica’s governing body declined to confirm whether its headteacher had instructed staff to visit the Homerton school and encourage them to join.

The school’s reply stated: “Many have expressed anxiety about the possibility of their children needing to transfer to non-Catholic schools.

“It is our hope that we are able to offer a viable Catholic alternative to any families, regardless of faith, who might be facing the possibility of their child’s school closing in these challenging times.”

The Citizen understands that the heads of both schools have been in dialogue following the incident.

However, St Monica’s Head of School, Lenka Jallow, has written to parents affected and acknowledged her school’s “misjudgement”.

“As fellow Catholics, we share your commitment to the values that define our faith – compassion, respect, and care for the wellbeing of our children and families.

“The main aim was to ensure that parents were made aware of available Catholic education options, as some families have already started considering the difficult decision to move their children to non-Catholic educational settings.

“We want to affirm that our actions were motivated by a deep concern for the Catholic community and the preservation of Catholic education.

“However, upon reflection, we recognise our actions during this period may have caused unintended discomfort,” Jallow wrote.

In September, St. Dominic’s was earmarked for closure by the council due to falling pupil rolls and financial pressures.

Some parents fear there is no clear plan to maintain support for St Dominic’s pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), who comprise 35 per cent of the school’s cohort.

Others are concerned that there is no alternative Catholic school for their children “within viable distance from [their] community”.

The inflammatory visit has only served to further stoke tensions between the council and the community, with many now lobbying the local authority to change its guidance around consultations to avoid similar incidents happening in the future.

“As a parent body, we have looked through all documents relating to the consultation and none of them mention school-to-school conduct during a consultation process.

“This needs to be immediately addressed. Schools should be collaborative, not competitive.

“Schools’ leadership teams should be given guidance to avoid the egregious practices pointed out in this email,” the parents wrote.

Slingsby argued that the episode was a result of a “destructive” culture around consultations.

“The issue is there are a lot of schools struggling who aren’t quite on closing lists yet.

“What these consultations do is inspire aggressive competition, and there is no mitigating guidance. So schools become competitive rather than collaborative.

“It’s incredibly destructive and unhealthy,” she said.

Hackney Council has criticised the Hoxton school for acting in a way that could cause “distress” — despite its “best intentions”.

Cllr Anntoinette Bramble, Deputy Mayor of Hackney and cabinet member for education, young people and children’s social care, said: “We remind everyone that no final decision has been taken yet on the closure of St Dominic’s.

“We know St Monica’s staff had the best of intentions, but in the context of another school facing closure, this action, at this time, could cause distress.

“We have been in touch with the Lux Mundi Multi-Academy Trust, of which St Monica’s Roman Catholic Primary School is a part, and have been reassured by the chief executive that she is in the process of investigating the matter thoroughly.”

The consultation period for the proposed closures of St Dominic’s, and up to three other schools in the borough, ended on 19 November.

A final decision is expected from the council in April 2025.

Last week, parents from St. Dominic’s gave a deputation to the council’s children and young people scrutiny commission, criticising the Town Hall over its handling of the proposals.

They said: “The premature closure announcement has caused significant harm to St. Dominic’s, undermining recovery efforts.

“Without substantial alternatives, this decision risks creating severe educational and emotional disruptions for hundreds of children.”