A South London primary school is set to close at the end of the summer term due to falling pupil numbers and predicted debt of over £200,000.
Wandsworth Council officers have recommended that St Anne’s Church of England School, in Wandsworth, shuts permanently on August 31.
The school’s governors proposed its closure in November after a dramatic decline in pupil numbers over the past five years resulted in funding cuts, straining its budget.
The school currently has 132 empty places out of 210 places overall, with only eight children joining its Reception class in September 2024.
A new report by council officers said falling birth rates indicate the school roll is unlikely to recover until at least 2031, based on data from the Greater London Authority (GLA).
It has a surplus capacity of 63 per cent, above the council’s average vacancy level of 15 per cent.
The report said the school can no longer provide high-quality education for its pupils and remain financially sustainable, as it has spent all of its reserves trying to plug the growing funding gap and faces a deficit of £215,068 by the end of 2026/27.
It has already merged classes in KS1 and KS2, it added, and can’t make further cuts to match its fall in income.
Three out of five responses to the council’s consultation on the governors’ proposals to close the school, which was held from March 10 to April 6, supported the plans.
The report said alternatives to the school’s closure were suggested, but the governors had already explored these and ruled them out as possible solutions.
The report said: “It is important to reiterate that these proposals are in no way a reflection of the quality of the current leadership and education provided by St Anne’s School, but a difficult decision made by the governors in response to the falling pupil numbers in the school.”
It added: “The governors’ decision to propose closure is primarily driven by the ambition to ensure the pupils at St Anne’s receive the highest quality education. With falling pupil numbers impacting on Reception intake, the forecast for the long-term sustainability of St Anne’s is a major concern for the governors at the school.
“Governors feel certain that the children will thrive and prosper in alternative schools who will be able to adequately provide the support and educational development they deserve sustainably for the remainder of their school years.”
The council’s Cabinet will vote on officers’ recommendation to close the school on May 12.
