Hackney Council has announced the closure of four primary schools scheduled for September 2024.
Headteacher Jo Riley of Randal Cremer Primary School says this has rattled the community, but emphasised that the closure was caused “through no fault of their own”.
Randal Cremer Primary School and De Beauvoir Primary School will shut down in September 2024. Colvestone Primary School will merge with Princess May Primary School on the Princess May site, closing in August 2024. Current students will be given the choice to move to Princess May.
Likewise, Baden Powell Primary School will merge with Nightingale Primary School on the Nightingale site, closing in August 2024, offering students the option to move to Nightingale.
Riley points to decisions from higher government levels as a significant factor. She highlights that fallouts from Brexit has contributed to families “feeling unwanted”.
This has been exacerbated by a housing crisis featuring benefit caps and a severe shortage of affordable homes, prompting families to seek residences beyond Hackney. School staff, grappling with unaffordable living costs, also face lengthy commutes.
Source: LISSY GRAY / CITY NEWS
The educational landscape has evolved with the introduction of free schools and academies, including one in proximity of Randel Cremer Primary School.
This has influenced parental choices and further contributed to enrolment challenges, particularly steering families away from schools with a higher number of children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Riley’s concerns about decreasing enrolment have been persistent over eight years. The school’s efforts to maintain a surplus budget have incurred costs, including redundancies and a shrinking workforce.
The prospect of ongoing financial struggles and the potential for significant restructuring, including teacher and staff cuts, led to the difficult decision to close the schools.
Councillor Anntoinette Bramble highlighted the dire financial situation faced by Hackney’s primary schools, emphasising a substantial £30 million funding deficit in the 2022/23 academic year alone that posed a threat to the stability and quality of the education system. The decision to close was seen as necessary to address cumulative financial pressures.
In 2022-23, there were 634 empty spots for new students, equivalent to 21 empty classrooms. This resulted in a loss of £6,484 for each unfilled spot, contributing to an overall loss of more than £30 million for 58 primary schools in Hackney.
To address this financial challenge, Hackney Council decided to merge four primary schools—a move that they claim brings advantages such as increased expertise, stronger finances, additional resources, and a better opportunity for overall improvement in schools.
The decision to contemplate closures and mergers arose as a last resort due to a significant decrease in local reception-aged children.
The council say they carefully considered factors such as financially vulnerable schools, the number of vacant places, physical school size, geographic partnerships, anticipated future need for school places, current Ofsted grading, and community impact.
Source: LISSY GRAY / CITY NEWS
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HeadlineHackney council closes four primary schools amid enrolment decline
Short HeadlineFour schools in Hackney close amid enrolment crisis
StandfirstHackney Council has announced the closure of four primary schools scheduled for September 2024
Hackney Council has announced the closure of four primary schools scheduled for September 2024.
Headteacher Jo Riley of Randal Cremer Primary School says this has rattled the community, but emphasised that the closure was caused “through no fault of their own”.
Randal Cremer Primary School and De Beauvoir Primary School will shut down in September 2024. Colvestone Primary School will merge with Princess May Primary School on the Princess May site, closing in August 2024. Current students will be given the choice to move to Princess May.
Likewise, Baden Powell Primary School will merge with Nightingale Primary School on the Nightingale site, closing in August 2024, offering students the option to move to Nightingale.
Riley points to decisions from higher government levels as a significant factor. She highlights that fallouts from Brexit has contributed to families “feeling unwanted”.
This has been exacerbated by a housing crisis featuring benefit caps and a severe shortage of affordable homes, prompting families to seek residences beyond Hackney. School staff, grappling with unaffordable living costs, also face lengthy commutes.
Source: LISSY GRAY / CITY NEWS
The educational landscape has evolved with the introduction of free schools and academies, including one in proximity of Randel Cremer Primary School.
This has influenced parental choices and further contributed to enrolment challenges, particularly steering families away from schools with a higher number of children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Riley’s concerns about decreasing enrolment have been persistent over eight years. The school’s efforts to maintain a surplus budget have incurred costs, including redundancies and a shrinking workforce.
The prospect of ongoing financial struggles and the potential for significant restructuring, including teacher and staff cuts, led to the difficult decision to close the schools.
Councillor Anntoinette Bramble highlighted the dire financial situation faced by Hackney’s primary schools, emphasising a substantial £30 million funding deficit in the 2022/23 academic year alone that posed a threat to the stability and quality of the education system. The decision to close was seen as necessary to address cumulative financial pressures.
In 2022-23, there were 634 empty spots for new students, equivalent to 21 empty classrooms. This resulted in a loss of £6,484 for each unfilled spot, contributing to an overall loss of more than £30 million for 58 primary schools in Hackney.
To address this financial challenge, Hackney Council decided to merge four primary schools—a move that they claim brings advantages such as increased expertise, stronger finances, additional resources, and a better opportunity for overall improvement in schools.
The decision to contemplate closures and mergers arose as a last resort due to a significant decrease in local reception-aged children.
The council say they carefully considered factors such as financially vulnerable schools, the number of vacant places, physical school size, geographic partnerships, anticipated future need for school places, current Ofsted grading, and community impact.
