Four primary schools in Hackney will permanently close at the end of this academic year as the borough grapples with a significant decline in pupil numbers.
Hackney Cabinet approved the closures last night, which will take effect from September 2025. The affected schools are St Dominic’s Catholic Primary School, St Mary’s Church of England Primary School, Oldhill Community School, and Sir Thomas Abney Primary School.
Pupils from Oldhill will merge with Harrington Hill Primary School, which will expand to two forms of entry and add additional resourced provision for autistic children. Similarly, Sir Thomas Abney pupils will join Holmleigh Primary School, which will expand to two forms of entry and relocate to the Sir Thomas Abney site. The language resource provision from Sir Thomas Abney will remain on site under Holmleigh’s management.
Respondents to the plans who were concerned over the fate of St Dominic’s argued that the closures would reduce faith-based education options in the borough and put more pressure on surrounding schools. Plans to merge Holmleigh and Sir Thomas Abney and Oldhill and Harrington Hill were criticised for a “perceived lack of fairness, transparency and genuine consideration of alternative solutions”.
Other respondents worried there would be logistical challenges in merging Oldhill and Harrington Hill, and that the move would see longer commute times for families.
The closures, first proposed in September 2024, come in response to a borough-wide decrease in school-aged children – a trend seen across London. Jon Abbey, chair of the Pan-London Admissions Board, previously said: “Overall, analysis suggests that falling birth rates and family migration from London have led to a continued decrease in demand for schoolplaces and resulted in a reduction in total applications this year.”
Between 2017 and 2024, the number of children in Hackney mainstream primary schools fell by 2,399 and is projected to decrease by another 2,637 over the next decade, bringing the total down to 13,648 by 2035, Hackney Council said. Currently, 23 percent of reception places in Hackney remained unfilled as of October 2024.
Since school funding is directly linked to pupil numbers, this decline has severely impacted school budgets needed for staff, building maintenance, equipment, and activities. Financial reserves across Hackney’s maintained primary schools have been “reducing at an alarming and unsustainable rate,” putting additional pressure on the Council’s budget, Hackney Council said.
Cllr Anntoinette Bramble, Deputy Mayor of Hackney and Cabinet Member for Education, Young People and Children’s Social Care, said: “It is with a heavy heart that we have had to decide for the second time in as many years to close four of our primary schools because there simply aren’t enough children in Hackney.
“Like many other local authorities across London and the country, we face incredible pressures in trying to maintain balanced budgets, and cannot afford to maintain schools that are not financially viable. Unfortunately, this means we have to make difficult choices to ensure we are able to continue to offer the high quality education that our children and families deserve.
“Reducing the number of schools that have to compete for the same limited resources available under the current funding system is just one of the ways in which we are responding to the challenge of falling rolls. We will continue to work together with our family of schools and with our other partners to encourage cooperation, the sharing of data and best practices, to build a stronger, lasting education offer.
“We know that this decision will be difficult for our children, families and members of staff. Our schools have built a lasting legacy within their local communities, and their absence will be profoundly missed. But great schools are the rule, not the exception in our borough – and families going through the transition will find a new place for their child where they will receive just as much care, love and support as they have in the past.”
The Council has prepared a support package to help those affected during the transition, including parent and carer handbooks, workshops for pupils and parents, mental health support, coffee mornings, admissions support, and staff resources. Parents from closing schools will be eligible for a school uniform grant, and children with special educational needs will receive additional personalised support.
Each affected school will receive £30,000 to maintain their educational standards throughout the transition period.
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