A decline in student numbers and escalating financial deficits means two North London schools will shut. Islington Council has confirmed the closure of two primary schools in the borough, St Jude & St Paul’s and Highbury Quadrant.
Parents, children, and teachers marched to the Town Hall on Thursday, April 24, ahead of a cabinet meeting where the closure plans, first announced in November, were expected to be approved. The closure date is August 31.
Cllr Michelline Safi-Ngongo, executive member for children and young people, stated during the meeting that the borough and London as a whole are facing a “major situation” with dwindling pupil numbers leading to reduced school funding, thereby “jeopardising the quality of education” for Islington’s children.
The council reported that St Jude & St Paul’s has a vacancy rate of 46 per cent, making it the smallest primary school in Islington in terms of student population.
The council also projected that the schools’ budget deficit would hit £484,000 by the end of the 2026/27 financial year.
Highbury Quadrant, on the other hand, is “more than half empty” and is operating with a deficit that is predicted to be “approaching £1 million” by the end of the same financial year, according to the council.
During the meeting, councillors and officers spent a significant amount of time responding to questions from parents, teachers, and school stakeholders, one of whom claimed that the Town Hall’s reports were “riddled with inaccuracies”.
Victoria Lawson, the chief executive, defended the contentious proposals, insisting they were made in good faith and “based on data, evidence, clear financial implications, legal advice, and relevant equalities impact assessments”.
Ms Lawson added: “We have a responsibility as officers to put clear transparent decisions in front of the executive in order for them to make decisions,”.
In a statement this morning, council leader Una O’Halloran (Labour party) said while she and her colleagues would have “loved” to keep the schools open, “the sad reality is that St Jude & St Paul’s has the lowest pupil numbers of any of our primary schools, while Highbury Quadrant has a significant vacancy rate”.
“Closure is always an absolute last resort, and we’ve listened really carefully to all of the feedback and suggestions from teachers, parents, carers, and children to save these schools.”
Residents are still expressing their unease with the council’s decision-making process regarding the closures, maintaining a belief that alternative solutions were possible.
In the lead-up to the decisive vote last night, residents had mobilised in protest, organising walkouts, marches, and even a demonstration aboard an open-top Routemaster bus parading through the borough.
Highbury Quadrant teacher Phoebe Oakley said she felt ‘very numb and in shock, even though we knew it was probably coming’.
Meanwhile, news of the closure was a surprise for those gathered outside the meeting chamber. Mark Gillespie, Highbury Quadrant’s caretaker, stated that he acknowledged it was a ‘hard decision’ for the local authority but ‘there had to be a human element to this’.
Andri Andreou, whose children attend St Jude’s, said families and staff were exploring other options and”remain hopeful that our school will continue to serve our children and the community for many years to come”.
“The council has not won this battle, and we continue to fight for our children’s rights and future.”
Barbara Schulz, Year 3 teacher at St Jude and St Paul’s, said: “The fight goes on.”
The option of merging the schools, saving one primary, had been proposed. At the meeting, Jon Stansfield, vice-chair of governors at St Jude’s, had argued the proposal had not been thoroughly examined.
Despite this, the council insisted that the option was unviable, referencing previous challenges in relocating students during school mergers. Cllr Safi-Ngongo stated her reservations about the lack of a convincing plan, saying she had not received a “strong proposal about how [either] was going to work”.
Jon Abbey, director of children’s services, acknowledged that Highbury Quadrant parents’ opposition to moving their children was “powerful and clear” in public gatherings.
On the matter of merging schools, Abbey warned that “there [was] no further guarantee of pupil number numbers, which still leaves the crucial issue of not enough young people”, indicating potential uncertainty ahead.
Abbey also pointed out the additional complications associated with merging schools, noting it would prolong the process by another year and would be “complex”.
Leader of the opposition, Cllr Benali Hamdache (Green), said: “It’s time to describe this as a school funding crisis. Our new government simply isn’t providing local authorities enough support for our schools.”
“We’re also deeply concerned about the process here. Closing two schools so close to the Hackney boundary means many students will leave the borough, taking much needed funding with them,” he said.
He added that relying heavily on Ofsted ratings meant working class schools were “disproportionately” being shut down.
Although the local authority will now proceed with the closures, the Town Hall is looking at a broader way to prevent future shutdowns through cross-council lobbying of the government and City Hall to change inner London schools funding, as previously reported by the LDRS.
In the chamber, Mr Abbey said he had already held a meeting with Ofsted, the Department for Education and unions around the challenge of admissions and falling rolls, where they created an ‘action plan’ including asking the government to “review funding mechanisms and arrangements”.
He added that he and Ms Lawson would be inviting unions and other local authority executives to “come together” at the Town Hall to discuss “how we can make [a] representation to [the] government”.
