Proposed closure of Holy Family RC Primary School

Wednesday 17 January 2024

The Archdiocese of Southwark and the Royal Borough of Greenwich are exploring early plans to close Holy Family Roman Catholic Primary School at the end of this year following falling pupil numbers.

Statement

Update 15/05: A Cabinet decision has now been made on the school closure. You can see the Cabinet report and decision here.

Despite huge efforts by the school to encourage more families to choose it, Holy Family has experienced an ever-decreasing number of pupils in recent years and is therefore losing funding year after year. The school, rated as requires improvement by Ofsted, has room to teach 210 students but only has 128 on its register, including just 19 reception students that started in September.

As school budgets are largely based on pupil numbers, the school has experienced growing pressures on its finances. Low pupil numbers also impact school experience for students, as there are fewer opportunities to socialise and less staff.

A spokesperson for The Archdiocese of Southwark, said: “All areas of the Archdiocese have seen and will continue to see a significant reduction in pupil numbers. The situation is more extreme in our London boroughs. This is exacerbated by a drop in the baptismal rate. This has impacted dramatically on the numbers at Holy Family School. Over the past decade the Archdiocese has devoted considerable resources to support the school and address the issues around finance and pupil numbers. It is with regret that all of these efforts have not resulted in a positive outcome. The school continues to have a decreasing population and the deficit will only rise, over the coming years. This leaves us with no option but to explore, through the consultation, the closure of the school.”

As the local authority responsible for making sure there are enough school places available to children and young people in the borough, the Council ran an initial informal consultation to get the views of parents, staff and other people likely to be affected by the decision. This was followed by a statutory consultation in line with the Department for Education's guidance.

There’s more than enough capacity at other local schools to accommodate Holy Family’s existing pupils, and only six families have picked it as a first preference for September 2024’s reception. All impacted children will be well supported by the council to ensure a seamless transition at the start of the new term in September.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is this happening?

The number of pupils applying to Holy Family has significantly decreased in recent years. This is partly down to the school’s Ofsted rating, the reduction in the number of families expressing a preference for a religious school and falling birth rates affecting the general demand for primary school places across the borough.

The amount of money a school has is directly linked to its number of pupils. The more pupils a school has, the more funding it receives. With fewer pupils choosing this school, it is less likely that the school will be financially viable to keep running.

Unfilled school places have an immediate cost for schools through a reduction in their budgets, as well as affecting the overall viability and quality of education standards at the school.

The falling birth rates across Royal Greenwich and London mean that the current reduction in demand for school places will continue in the coming years, exacerbating the current surplus of places at the school which means the school is likely to have an ever-increasing budget deficit.

Why weren’t families told earlier that the school was at risk of closing?

The decision to undertake a consultation on the proposal to close Holy Family was only made in late December. This was after all other options had been explored. Families were advised about the consultation in January, as soon as it was practicable. To advise families before a decision was made would not have been appropriate and may have had a negative impact on the running of the school.

If the school closes what will happen to the land and buildings?

There are no proposals on the future use of the school site. The Archdiocese has engaged with the council on the potential use of the site for a primary SEND school, but discussions are very much in the early stages and no decision has been made.

What organisation runs this school?

Holy Family Primary School is a voluntary aided school with capacity for 210 pupils in total and it currently has 128 pupils. It is run and managed by the Education Commission of the Catholic Archdiocese of Southwaark.

What can we, the local school community do to keep the school open? How can the school be saved, what measures can be taken to improve school numbers?

All available options have been explored. The only way the school can become financially viable is to have more pupils but despite efforts made by the governing body, the Archdiocese and the Royal Borough of Greenwich to raise the school’s profile, Holy Family is not a school that many parents choose to send their children to. The issue of the school being significantly undersubscribed has been made worse due to falling numbers across Greenwich similarly to most of London, and this situation will likely continue for a number of years to come. The Archdiocese has considered merging Holy Family with another school but it has concluded that this isn’t viable due to low pupil numbers. If there were to be a merger, it would still require the closure of Holy Family School. The council has worked collaboratively with the Archdiocese and governing body to provide the school with stable and experienced leadership and put measures in place to support the improvement in teaching and learning at the school to improve pupil outcomes.

What actions have been taken to avoid the school’s closure?

Council officers have been working with the school and Archdiocese to avoid the school’s closure but sadly, we haven't been able to produce the desired outcome. Since the school’s recent Ofsted inspection judgement of requires improvement, the Council has supported the school through the Local Authority and School Support Meeting (LASSM) process. We have supported the school’s leadership and brokered extra support with other schools. Currently, an additional senior leader is in place one day a week, funded by the Council, to build the school’s leadership capacity, due to the low numbers of staff and therefore subject leaders. There has also been an intensive school improvement support involving:

School improvement advisors from the Council working with subject leaders and teachers in the school (five advisors have worked with the school during the last 3 years)
Partnership with a federation of three schools to provide support with curriculum planning during the last academic year
Continued partnership working including peer reviews with other Roman Catholic schools facilitated by the Council.

The school has also been supported to improve its curriculum, reopen its nursery, and with advertising.

Does the Archdiocese of Southwark run any other schools in the Royal Borough of Greenwich?

Yes, it does, there are other Catholic schools within the borough.

Where will children go instead?

Pupils now in Year 6 would already be transferring to secondary school in September 2024.

Pupils who are now in Reception and Years 1 to 5 would transfer to other schools in September. Once a formal decision has been made in May 2024, parents will be asked to complete an application form naming alternative schools where they would wish their child to transfer to. These schools can be in Royal Greenwich and/or in other boroughs. For the small number of children attending the school living in other boroughs, we will work with their home borough to ensure a suitable alternative school is offered.

Parents who have expressed a preference for a reception place starting in September 2024 will be given the opportunity to name an alternative as a replacement for the school from 22 January 2024. If an alternative school is not named, any school listed as a lower preference will automatically move up the preference list. However, we recommend that an alternative school is named as this will increase the chances of the child being offered a place at one of their preference schools.

There are not enough Catholic schools nearby, how can my child access an alternative Catholic school nearby?

There are sufficient places available in other Catholic primary schools within a reasonable distance of Holy Family Catholic Primary School. As of January 2023, the vacancies are as follows:

Places Available

Total RY – Y6

Greenwich

Notre Dame

Our Lady of Grace

St Joseph’s

St Mary’s

St Thomas Moore

Lewisham

Good Shepherd

Holy Cross

St Augustine’s

St Matthew Academy

St William of York

St Winifred’s

Total vacancies

250

With all the development happening in the area will the other schools be able to cope?

The Council constantly reviews the impact of development on our schools and other public services. Our latest assessment shows that there are a good number of primary schools across Royal Greenwich and in surrounding boroughs with space for more pupils, including other Catholic schools. Given this position, it will be possible to place all the children in schools that are reasonably distanced from Holy Family RC Primary School.

We will try to accommodate parental preference wherever possible, although we cannot guarantee that it will be possible to offer everyone a place at a preference school. Children will be allocated places in community schools in line with the school’s published admission arrangements. For example, the community school criteria gives priority to:

Looked After Children
Children with a medical or social need
Siblings
Home/school distance.

Other schools, especially faith schools, will have different criteria so it is important that parents understand how places at these schools will be offered.

The Royal Borough of Greenwich will hold sessions at Holy Family RC Primary School, if required, to help families in understanding the admissions process and answer any questions about the process.

Find out more about the admissions process.

What about school uniform costs if my child moves to another school?

Parents/carers will be helped to apply for uniform grant for pupils transferring to alternative schools. Each case will be considered on an individual basis.

Is this about saving money?

Reducing pupil numbers has a huge impact on school budgets that are needed to pay staff, maintain and repair their buildings, buy all the modern equipment and resources that the schools need, or organise activities for children.

Between 2023 to 2024 it’s estimated that Holy Family will be missing £118k in funding, which will rise to £362k by the end of next year.

Aren’t small class sizes good? Why can’t the Archdiocese of Southwark keep the school open with less pupils?

Smaller classes may sound like a good idea, but the opposite is true. This is because many costs are driven by the number of classes in a school, whereas funding levels are driven by the number of pupils.

How many children applied to attend the school in September 2024?

Only six families nominated it as their first choice in the admissions process for school places for September 2024.

Who is responsible for making sure there are enough school places in the borough?

The Royal Borough of Greenwich is responsible for a very wide range of legal duties to promote high educational standards locally, ensure fair access to schools, and protect the interest of the most vulnerable pupils. The Council has a unique responsibility to make sure there are enough school places available to local children and young people, however not all schools are managed by the local authority.

Some schools, like Holy Family, are managed by religious trusts or foundations, and others – like an academy – are managed by an academy trust. These trusts or foundations are responsible for the day-to-day management and standards of the school.

Who has final say over a school closing?

Following these consultation periods, a final decision report will be presented to the Council’s cabinet. This is currently planned for May.

What happens next?

Stage 1 – Consultation: initial informal consultation on school closure – 18 January to 9 February 2024
Stage 2 – Publication of statutory proposal on school closure – 15 February 2024
Stage 3 – Representation: Statutory consultation period on school closure (4 weeks) – 15 February to 13 March 2024
Stage 4 – Decision: Report to Cabinet to determine decision on statutory proposal to close school – 8 May 2024 (subject to a five-day call-in period)
Stage 5 – Proposed implementation of the school closure – 31 August 2024.

The consultation feedback will be reported to the Council's Cabinet to decide whether the school closure process should commence.

Can pupils move schools before August 2024? How do they do this?

Parents and carers at any Royal Greenwich school are entitled to apply for ‘in-year’ admission to an alternative school at any time.

However, we will be contacting parents/carers at the same time so that the transfer of all children can be carried out through a managed process to:

Ensure that all families are treated equally
Keep the school operational - to avoid disruption to education provision at the school and ensure the curriculum can be effectively delivered
Allow time for the receiving schools to prepare
Ensure that the relevant support follows those children at the school with additional needs
Provide stability to the school staff and offer career opportunities

I’m a member of staff, how does this proposal affect me?

The Archdiocese and the school’s HR Service will be providing advice and support to school staff, including bespoke continuing profession development (CPD) opportunities. These sessions will focus on producing a CV, completing an application form and how to prepare and perform at an interview. All of these sessions can be done individually or in small groups. Dates for all of these events will be agreed with the school, to take place in the coming weeks.