Four schools in north London could face closure amid falling pupil numbers.
Camden Council is looking at shutting three primary schools and a secondary school, a new report published this month has revealed.
The four schools are St Alban’s Church of England Primary School in Holborn, St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Covent Garden, St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School in Kentish Town, and La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School in Highgate.
It comes amid the capital’s school closure crisis, which has seen some 90 primary and secondary schools in London close or merge in the last five years due to falling pupil numbers.
Classrooms across the capital are being hollowed out
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Inner London schools have been particularly affected, with demand for schools in central London gradually thinning out.
The new report, titled “Strong and Sustainable Schools Consultation”, has been prepared for a panel of senior councillors and will be put before Camden Council’s cabinet on October 20.
The report explains that the named schools are “experiencing sustained and significant pressures”, including surplus capacity, declining pupil rolls, financial deficits, and operation below sustainable forms of entry.
The sustained decline among schools in London has been attributed to falling birth rates, housing affordability, and migration patterns.
“This is a challenge because every empty school place means that primary schools lose an average of £7,500 of vital government funding per year, and secondary schools lose an average of £9,700 per year,” said the report.
But the report has been received badly by many of the parents at the four schools.
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A petition to stop La Sainte Union Catholic School has already garnered more than 2,000 signatures since being launched five days ago.
“For many families, this is not simply about losing a school building. It is about potentially losing a community, a trusted educational environment, friendships, stability, and a place where children feel safe and supported,” organisers wrote.
The school has the lowest subscription figures among the four schools up for closure. Just 28 parents elected to choose the school as their top choice for secondary education.
Councillors will determine whether the schools should be shut entirely, merged, or reduced in admission numbers.
The consultation will run for six weeks between November 2 and December 14.
The report will also be discussed at the council’s upcoming Children, Schools and Families Scrutiny Committee on November 5.
The outcome will be reviewed in February before an interim decision is made.
The final decisions for each school will be decided in April and implemented before the start of the new school year in September.