The council has consulted thoroughly with the community on the proposals, and held public meetings at every affected school. The council’s Cabinet will meet on Monday evening (Nov4) to decide if it will adopt the measures that could apply in 12 months’ time.
A Lambeth Council spokesperson said: “This is an incredibly difficult situation for all involved and it is not a process that either Lambeth Council or anyone in our school communities want to be undertaking.
“But the number of children starting primary in Lambeth has fallen a third over the last decade. This issue isn’t one that is going away, so we need to act which is why we have developed these proposals.
“Protecting education is our priority so tough choices do need to be made. We have great local primary schools, providing really high-quality education taught by excellent school staff.
“But we now have 1,000 fewer children starting at Lambeth primary schools, which means empty classrooms, and under the national funding formula fewer pupils means less money, which risks sending schools into unsustainable debt.
“We have listened to the community and taken their views into account in developing this proposal which aims to protect the high quality primary school education in Lambeth.”
People leaving the capital due to Brexit, the cost of living crisis, the housing crisis and a one-third drop in birth rates, means less children are starting school in Lambeth and across inner city London.
Ten years ago 3,243 children were starting primary schools in Lambeth, but by January 2024 there were 2,324 starting, a drop of almost 30 per cent. This has left more than 500 vacancies in reception classes alone, the equivalent of 18 empty classrooms.
In response to the situation Lambeth Council has also written to the new government calling for reform of the unfair ‘National Funding Formula’, in particular highlighting to the new Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, that it disadvantages schools in urban areas.
The spokesperson said: “We now have 24 Lambeth primary schools in deficit putting their futures in jeopardy. Our proposals aim to tackle this deficit as well as protect the quality of primary school education.
“We know this is painful for school communities, but our hand is being forced and we are working incredibly hard to best managing the impacts in a way that supports our schools and ensures children in Lambeth can still get a great primary school education.”
The proposals on the changes needed to tackle falling school admissions have been published online ahead of the Cabinet meeting. They are as follows:
- To approve the closure of Fenstanton Primary School (with modifications, subject to certain conditions being met)
- To approve the closure of Holy Trinity CofE Primary School (with modifications, subject to certain conditions being met)
- To approve the amalgamation of Christ Church Primary SW9 with St John the Divine CofE Primary School by closing St John the Divine CofE Primary School and site and merging into Christ Church Primary SW9
- To approve the amalgamation Glenbrook Primary School with Kings Avenue Primary School by closing Kings Avenue Primary School and site and merging into Glenbrook Primary School on its site (with modifications)
To read the report visit moderngov.lambeth.gov.uk.
