Three south London schools have been saved from closure after the decision to try and shut the sites was overturned by a school watchdog.
Plans to close Fenstanton Primary School and Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School in Lambeth were rejected by the government’s schools adjudicator last week.
It comes after plans to close St John the Divine Church of England Primary School and merge it with Christ Church Primary School were also rejected last month, forcing the council to apologise to hundreds of teachers and pupils following the uncertainty about whether the schools would stay open.
The decisions have cast doubts over the future of other Lambeth schools as the borough continues to be hit by plummeting pupil numbers.
In May, Lambeth Council told parents, pupils and teachers at the four schools that they would be closing, blaming the continuing drop in the capital’s birth rate.
Over 1,000 fewer children are starting in reception in Lambeth compared to 10 years ago, with issues such as Brexit and the cost of living crisis contributing to lower numbers of children in the area.
The council also highlighted that families had been moving away from central London following the pandemic.
The school's adjudicator ruled that the decision to try and close Fenstanton and Holy Trinity primary schools had not followed the correct legal process.
A report looking into the possible closures ruled: “The original decision to close Holy Trinity Primary School and Fenstanton Primary School in September 2026 was not a decision the Council could lawfully make.“
It added that the decision to try and close the schools had been unlawful due to “imposed ‘conditions’ which are not capable of being imposed and ‘modifications’ which are unspecified”.
School leaders had asked the council to consider merging the two schools, possibly on the Fenstanton site, at the start of the next academic year, but this was rejected by the council.
Lawyers for the Diocese of Southwark, which is responsible for Holy Trinity primary school, then requested the decisions to shut or merge the schools be referred to the Schools Adjudicator.
Meanwhile, in a separate report looking at the decision to close St John the Divine primary school, Schools Adjudicator Clive Sentance wrote: “It has become apparent that certain parties do not have a clear understanding of what happens when two schools merge as proposed.”
Mr Sentance also wrote that some consultation documents had “serious shortcomings”.
He added that there had been “overwhelming local opposition to the closure of the school,” with 98% of people who responded to a consultation saying they did not support the merger.
Parents at the school had insisted they would not send their children to Christ Church if the plans went ahead.
In a letter sent to parents at the end of the school year, St John the Divine headteacher Catherine Warland wrote: “We started the year with great uncertainty as to the future of our school, which has served our corner of Camberwell for some 152 years, yet we end it knowing that we have saved our school for future generations.”
A Lambeth Council spokesperson explained the borough will have to explore further school closures later this year since St John the Divine will remain open.
A spokesperson said: “We brought forward this proposal after extensive consultation because we wanted to ensure a viable and sustainable school remained in the local area – minimising disruption and retaining Church of England education provision in a way that would protect the quality of education for our children.
“We are disappointed that the Office of the School Adjudicator disagreed with the council’s approach and by their decision, but we respect it and will now fully consider what it may mean for our approach in the future to ensure that it is in line with the OSA’s decision in this case.
“We apologise to the parents, pupils and staff of both schools and the local community for the uncertainty that this decision now creates. We particularly thank the Christ Church school community and leadership for their constructive engagement throughout this process.
“Given the OSA’s decision and the continued falling pupil numbers in the borough, the council will now have to begin consultation on further school closures later in 2025.”
Lambeth Council has been contacted for further comment.
