London faces more school closures and mergers as the birth rate falls

A new warning has been issued over the future of London’s schools as the birth rate falls.

Growing numbers of schools in the capital are facing closure or mergers as they struggle to balance their budgets in the face of falling demand for places.

Ian Edwards, executive member for children and young people at London Councils, said schools were facing “extremely difficult decisions” as they grappled with the impact of the falling birthrate.

A number of schools have already closed, including the 300-year-old Archbishop Tenison School in the Oval and Carlton Primary School in Camden. Others will merge despite parental protests, including Colvestone Primary in Hackney, which author Michael Rosen tried to save.

Mr Edwards said: “London’s falling birth rate has meant that most London boroughs have seen a reduction in the number of pupils starting primary and secondary education and this has implications for the future of the capital’s schools.

“Some of the excess capacity could be re-used to provide SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) or extra resource provision places, but it is likely that some schools will have to merge or, in more extreme circumstances, close.”

He added: “While it is not unusual for the birth rate in London to fluctuate, the downward trend in the birth rate has and will continue to have an impact on the demand for school places which schools, boroughs and the Department for Education will have to . manage.”

Schools are funded according to the number of students they have, which means that when children leave, they lose money. But schools still have to pay for a teacher, even if a class is not full. Many are struggling to balance their budgets and have had to cut back on clubs and after school trips.

The cut in funding has raised fears that London’s excellent education standards, which see children here achieve the best exam results in the country, will be hit as more schools make cuts such as narrowing the curriculum or reducing the number of teachers and teaching assistants.

Mr Edwards said: “London has some of the best schools in the country, with over 90% of all our schools rated good or outstanding by Ofsted. However, falling demand for places means schools are facing extremely difficult decisions about how to balance their budgets. We are working diligently to ensure that this level of high quality education is accessible to all children entering schools in the coming years and to enable our schools to thrive despite this challenging climate.”

Meanwhile, there is a growing push for local authorities to ensure disused school buildings are kept for educational purposes and not sold for housing in the hope that London’s birth rate will rise in the future.

The site of St Martin-In-The Fields Girls’ High School in Lambeth, which is due to close this summer due to a lack of pupils, has been saved for educational use and will be turned into a therapeutic center for vulnerable pupils in the area. . But there are fears other empty school buildings could be sold for commercial use.

London Councils, which represents every local authority in the capital, predicts that almost 8,000 fewer children will need school places over the next four years.

As well as falling birthrates, the drop was caused by families leaving London due to Brexit and an exodus from the capital due to the pandemic and cost of living crisis, the organization said.

It calls on the Government to ensure that school funding keeps pace with inflation, which will help schools cope with changing levels of demand for places. It also wants more powers for local authorities to work with academies – which are currently not under their control, despite local authorities being responsible for managing school places.