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London council closes schools as housing crisis forces families out of capital
The housing crisis is being partly blamed for a fall in numbers of school-aged children that has forced a London council to close two primary schools and merge four others across the borough.
Hackney Council said the fall in school-aged children across the capital is being driven by a number of issues, including the housing crisis, falling birth rates, the pandemic and Brexit.
The October 2023 census showed even fewer children joining reception than had been forecast, and the 2023 strategic housing assessment showed that up until 2039, household growth in the area will likely be predominantly single people and cohabiting households.
Despite building new homes, the expected number of school-aged children moving into Hackney is unlikely to make any significant impact.
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When Inside Housing launched its Build Social campaign earlier this year, it reported how a shortage of affordable housing is leading London councils to ship more homeless people outside the capital.
Part of this investigation found that out-of-area placements put additional strain on local services, including schools.
Hackney’s proposals were first announced in March, and there are currently more than 600 empty places in the council’s reception classes alone, which amounts to a 21% surplus.
A healthy surplus is considered to be between 5% and 10%.
According to the council, having smaller classes would be detrimental to the schools, as many costs are dictated by the total number of classes, whilst funding is determined by the total number of pupils.
Following the decision, officers will be working with headteachers to provide bespoke support packages to assist with the transition for those affected, including pupils, families and staff.
Anntoinette Bramble, deputy mayor of Hackney, said: “We know schools are much more than places where children and young people go to get an education, they are a core part of the local community.
“Following what the data tells us means that last night we had to make an incredibly difficult decision. But this is the only way to ensure that we can minimise the long-term negative impact on Hackney education and more widely on the council’s budget, at a time of extreme financial pressure.
“None of this is due to any fault of our schools, their leadership teams or staff. The schools that will be closing have gone above and beyond to ensure that the falling rolls have the least possible negative impact on the quality of education, and I would like to thank once again their exceptional leaders for their tireless work, kindness and compassion.”
Local authorities across the capital had previously warned the government that they are expecting to make more than £500m of savings next year to help balance their budgets.
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