'London could be childless': Parents and teachers in last-ditch attempt to save Hackney schools from closure

Every day, teacher Carly Slingsby watches scores of young children leave her school in Hackney in search of education elsewhere.

The school, St Dominic’s Catholic Primary, is among six in the borough that are facing closure or a merger as a result of a plummeting birth rate which has left nearly a quarter of reception places unfilled since October.

Hackney Council, she says, has already “pulled the plug” without staff having a chance to save their “community hub”.

“How long until their reputation is demolished? They are losing all of these amazing staff, these brilliant teachers,” she told the Standard.

“Because schools are closing there is very little opportunity for our employment in Hackney. They are just losing out.”

Ms Slingsby described how her school has its “own little mini families” and complained that schools from the most deprived areas of Hackney appear to be closing.

The teacher described how the announcement that the sites may close or merge as a “death knell” with schools losing as many as 120 pupils since the news broke in October as parents try and secure alternative places for their children.

She also pointed out that some children have already moved from primary schools which were closed by Hackney Council last year, but now face having to go through the same process just a year later.

Ms Slingsby, previously told the Standard that as many as 150 staff could be made redundant if the latest round of school closures go ahead .

Hackney Council will meet on Monday to decide whether to close or merge six more primary schools despite four already shutting their doors permanently last summer.

The council has been recommended 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.

Hackney has also been recommended to close Sir Thomas Abney Primary School and merge it with nearby Holmleigh Primary School.

The council has explained that the possible closures are due to an ongoing decline in the number of school-aged children across London.

The latest round of closures comes amid growing fears of “ghost areas” across London as communities are destroyed by the number of families leaving the capital due to the cost-of-living crisis and housing prices.

Nataliya Nayda, another teacher at St Dominic’s Catholic Primary School told the Standard “London is under threat of becoming a childless city”.

She explained: “We have staff that have worked here for over 35 years and it's really like a second home to many of us, it’s just devastating.

“I understand that they are cutting costs but in doing so they are neglecting the education of the children.”

The teacher added: “Hackney Council decided to pull the plug on us and not give us a chance, we had planned to make a new start with a plan in September, but they haven’t given it a chance.

“We have enough children for a one-form school, we are not empty, and now children will have to get places in overcrowded schools in the area.”

Staff at the school are now threatening to strike in February as they fight to save their jobs.

Parents have also described how the decision to close and merge the schools has been “heartbreaking and stressful”.

Jordan Rivera, whose daughter is currently at Sir Thomas Abney, explained: “My son who is now 13 went to that school, and my daughter is a student now, so I've been going there for the last 9 years.

“We have strong relationships with the staff there and the idea of not knowing what will happen (until now) has been hanging over our heads.

"I now have to break this news to my daughter who will be upset because she will no longer be taught by her favourite teachers.

“It's stressful for the parents who are trying to protect their children because they are so worried. The children have strong relationships with their teachers, who will now be gone.”

Ms Rivera, 48, explained that she has noticed fewer children at the school gates and that it has felt like the decision to merge her daughter’s school was “a done deal from the start”.

Last year a report by the Education Policy Institute found that the number of primary school-aged children in the city will drop by around 52,000 by 2028.

Birth rates have been falling across the country, but the decrease has been particularly exacerbated in the capital by the price of housing and the cost of living.

Hackney Council has said it cannot afford to financially support schools that are not sustainable, and said it has “to continue to consider difficult decisions to make sure all our schools are fit for the future, and to protect the high-quality education that Hackney is known for”.

A final decision is expected to be made by the council’s cabinet in April and the changes will take effect at the end of August.

Councillor Anntoinette Bramble, cabinet member for education, has described how it is “incredibly hard that once again we have to consider closing some of the schools that our communities know and love”.

The councillor said falling rolls pose huge challenges especially when considering wider “immense financial pressures” that councils are facing due to years of “chronic underfunding”.

She continued: “Schools that struggle to fill their empty places have less money to provide the high-quality education that children need. Many schools have already told us that the reduced funding due to falling rolls is affecting their ability to fully support their pupils, especially those with the greatest need.”