A South London primary school with only eight students in Reception will close at the end of summer term due to falling pupil numbers.
Wandsworth Council’s Cabinet approved the closure of St Anne’s Church of England School, in Wandsworth, on Monday night (May 12), after agreeing it was no longer financially viable.
The school’s governors proposed its closure in November after a dramatic decline in pupil numbers over the past five years resulted in funding cuts, straining its budget.
The school currently has 132 empty places out of 210 places overall, with only eight children joining its Reception class in September 2024. It has a surplus capacity of 63 per cent, above the council’s average vacancy level of 15 per cent.
A report by council officers said the school could no longer provide high-quality education for its pupils and remain financially viable, as it had spent all of its reserves trying to plug the growing funding gap and faced a deficit of £215,068 by the end of 2026/27. It had already merged classes in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, it added, and could not make further cuts to match its fall in income.
Ana Popovici, Executive Director of Children’s Services, said governors came to the ‘very sad’ decision to close the school as a last resort, after working tirelessly with council officers to improve its finances.
She thanked them for ‘their bravery and unwavering commitment to do what’s right, even when that decision is difficult, emotional and potentially met with disappointment and challenge’.
Ms Popovici told the meeting it was ‘crucial that the decision on the future of the school is made in the best interest of the pupils at St Anne’s to ensure that they can receive the best possible education, the most enriching experiences and have all their needs met’.
Labour councillor Judi Gasser, Cabinet Member for Children, agreed governors had ‘tried everything’ to keep the school open and were sure pupils would ‘prosper in alternative schools’. She said: “It’s a horrible decision to make. Nobody wants to decide to close the school.
“But, as Ana said, it’s about the best interests of the pupils, actually, because they know that the school is now no longer financially sustainable, and that’s no reflection on the quality of the education or the quality of the service there. It’s a lovely school, but the pupil numbers have been going down and down.”
Three out of five responses to the council’s consultation on proposals to close the school, held from March 10 to April 6, supported the plans. The report said alternatives to the school’s closure were suggested, but the governors had already explored these and ruled them out as possible solutions.
Now that the closure of the school on August 31 has been approved, governors will begin working with pupils and staff to find them alternative places locally. Councillor Gasser said there were enough places available for pupils in local schools rated ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Good’ by Ofsted, and the transition would be made ‘as smooth as possible’.
The closure follows a recent trend in London linked to falling birth rates and families moving out of the city as the cost of living rises. A string of school closures have been announced across the city including in Southwark, Hackney and Islington.
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