Brighton schools now expected to close despite last-ditch protests

The final decision on whether to close St Bartholomew’s Church of England (CofE) Primary School, in Brighton, and St Peter’s Community Primary School, in Portslade, will now go before a special meeting of the full council on Monday (4 March).

Parents, teachers and children from both schools and members of the National Education Union protested in the rain outside Hove Town Hall before the proposal was discussed on Thursday.

But they proved unable to sway Brighton and Hove City Council’s children, families and schools committee.

St Bartholomew\'s pupil pictures

The two primary schools are the smallest in Brighton and Hove and the whole area has been affected by a falling birth rate, with fewer children starting in Reception classes, as well as families moving to more affordable neighbouring areas.

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The council plans to shut the schools in August in addition to cutting reception admission numbers at six other schools.

Labour councillor Jacob Taylor, who chaired the meeting today, said: “We have 29 out of 48 schools in our city in deficit – 60 per cent. That is, in my opinion, beyond a crisis point for the primary sector in this city.

“No responsible council in the country could continue without taking action on that position.”

School funding – from the government – is based on pupil numbers while a significant proportion of costs are wages, resulting in so many primary schools operating at a deficit because of falling admissions.

The council’s head of schools organisation Richard Barker told the committee that falling pupil numbers in turn limited how many teachers and support staff a school could employ.

St Bartholomew’s head teacher Katie Blood addressed the meeting and called the plans “unkind”, saying: “There is no financial gain to the council in closing this school. There is only a cost, both human and financial.

“There are no plans in place around supporting children to stay in friendship groups or to ensure siblings are placed together.

“No consideration has been made about how to support already financially challenged families with the additional cost of transport to school and new uniforms.

“This closure is based on short-term information around birth rates – only considering children who have already been born.

“This appears very short-sighted of the council as the UK birth rate is predicted to increase within the next 10 years.”

St Bartholomew\'s head teacher Katie Blood

Mrs Blood said that 85 per cent of the people who responded to the formal consultation about the closure disagreed with the council’s proposal.

Mr Barker told councillors that the birth rate in Brighton and Hove had fallen from 1.64 children per family in 2010 to just one per family in 2022.

Green councillors Sue Shanks and Chloe Goldsmith voted against the proposed closures and said that shutting the two schools would cost the council £1.5 million.

Councillor Shanks said: “This has just been awful for parents. They were out there in the rain today. They’ve been sending us emails and have responded to the consultations.

“They feel they haven’t been listened to. That is not the way we want to be seen. We want to be seen as caring about children in the city.”

Labour councillor Ty Goddard said doing nothing would not be a kindness, adding: “Reducing curriculum offers, staffing challenges and, as we heard from Councillor Taylor, the worst position in the country in terms of deficits … doing nothing is not a kindness.

“Trying to wish away some of these realities we are grappling with is not a kindness. To ignore some of the really big issues, to try to wish it away is irresponsible.”

Mother of three Kirsty Moore, who has two daughters at 117-year-old St Peter’s, in Portslade, asked about support for families from West Sussex, particularly those with additional needs.

A significant proportion of children at the school come from Southwick and Shoreham, with others coming from further away including Lancing, Worthing and Hassocks.

Councillor Taylor said that West Sussex County Council would have to offer a school place to children in the area subject to availability.

He said that information about children with additional needs would be passed on to support them through the transition.

Labour councillor Emma Daniels asked how the transition board, put in place to support families, would help children from West Sussex, particularly those with special educational needs.

The council’s assistant director for families, children and learning, Jo Lyons, said that the closure of St Peter’s was complex because so many families were from West Sussex.

But, she said, the Brighton and Hove and West Sussex admissions teams were “in dialogue” – and should the council agree to the closures on Monday (4 March) the dialogue would be daily, including for children with additional needs.

West Sussex County Council said that it had surplus primary school places across the Adur district, with schools in Shoreham and Lancing operating at 87 per cent capacity.

Brighton and Hove currently has 2,610 Reception places but the council has forecast that only 1,970 children will require a place in September next year and just 1,787 in September 2027.

The special meeting of the full council is due to start at 4.30pm next Monday (4 March) at Hove Town Hall. The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.