Hackney Council presses ahead with plans to close four schools as student numbers plummet
Hackney Council presses ahead with plans to close four schools as student numbers plummet
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Hackney Council is pressing ahead with plans to close or merge six more primary schools despite four already shutting their doors permanently last summer. The council’s cabinet on Monday approved proposals to close St Mary’s Church of England Primary School and St Dominic’s Catholic Primary School as well as shutting Oldhill Community School and merging it with Harrington Hill Primary School.
It has also followed recommendations to close Sir Thomas Abney Primary School and merge it with nearby Holmleigh Primary School, with parents and teachers saying they feel like the council is “pulling the plug” on them. The council will now publish statutory notices, which will mark the start of a 28-day representation period, during which any person may object to or make comments on the proposals.
A final decision is expected to be made by the council’s cabinet in April with the changes taking effect at the end of August. The decision comes amid growing fears of “ghost areas” spreading across London as communities are destroyed by the number of families leaving the capital due to the cost-of-living crisis and housing prices.
Nearly a quarter of reception places have been left unfilled since October in Hackney, the council has said. Hackney teachers have previously warned the Standard that London could become a childless city and hundreds of staff could lose their jobs. Parents have also described how the decision to close and merge the schools has been “heartbreaking and stressful”.
