At a meeting on 22 April 2025, Hackney Council's cabinet made the difficult decision to close or merge several primary schools in the borough, citing falling pupil numbers and financial sustainability as key factors. Councillor Anntoinette Bramble, Statutory Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Education, Young People and Children's Social Care, who was chairing the meeting in the absence of Mayor Caroline Woodley, emphasised the commitment to safeguarding the quality of education for all children in Hackney despite these challenges. The cabinet approved recommendations for Sir Thomas Abney Primary School, St Mary’s Church of England Primary School, Oldhill Community School and St Dominic’s Catholic Primary School.

School Closures and Mergers

The most significant item on the agenda was the review of several primary schools facing challenges due to declining pupil numbers. The cabinet considered statutory representations and made decisions regarding the future of these schools:

• Sir Thomas Abney Primary School The cabinet voted to discontinue Sir Thomas Abney Primary School and merge its student body with Holmleigh Primary School. As part of the proposal, Holmleigh Primary School will expand from a one-form entry to a two-form entry school, and will establish a language resourced provision[^1]. Holmleigh Primary School will relocate to the current Sir Thomas Abney Primary School site. [^1]: A language resourced provision (LRP) provides extra support for pupils who have a diagnosis of developmental language disorder or severe speech disorder.
• St Mary's Church of England Primary School The cabinet voted to discontinue St Mary's Church of England Primary School.
• Oldhill Community School The cabinet voted to discontinue Oldhill Community School and merge its student body with Harrington Hill Primary School. As part of the proposal, Harrington Hill Primary School will expand from a one-form entry to a two-form entry school, and will establish an Additional Resourced Provision[^2] for children with autism. [^2]: An additional resource provision (ARP) is a specialist unit within a mainstream school for pupils with a specific special educational need.
• St Dominic’s Catholic Primary School The cabinet voted to discontinue St Dominic’s Catholic Primary School.

Councillor Questions

Councillor Rao asked why the council had not been able to come up with a proposal which allows the specialist staff at Old Hill School, who've provided a dedicated service for SEND children, to ensure that those children could be transferred to an educational setting which guarantees the continuity of their teaching staff. Councillor Anntoinette Bramble responded that staff do not have redeployment rights due to statutory guidance, but that vacancies in other schools would be advertised internally first.

Councillor Lynch asked for assurances that Hackney Council's strong relationship with our Romanian Catholic schools, our Catholic priests, and the Westminster Diocese will continue. Councillor Anntoinette Bramble confirmed that the council would continue to work on those strong relationships.

Public Questions

The cabinet also addressed questions submitted by members of the public.

• One member of the public, Maria, asked how the council can propose that there are enough school places when people have to secure school places due to a lack. Councillor Anntoinette Bramble responded that the council looks at census data from the Greater London Assembly[^3], and that in January 2025 there were 613 unfilled reception places in Hackney, and 3,955 unfilled classes from reception to year six. [^3]: The Greater London Authority (GLA) is the regional government for London. It consists of the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.
• Another member of the public, Amanda Bentham, asked why the council refuses to look at true mergers and voluntary redundancy. Councillor Anntoinette Bramble responded that mergers would bring a whole school community and staff into a redundancy situation, and that the Department for Education[^4] (DfE) option to monogamate schools is not the preferred method. [^4]: The Department for Education (DfE) is the government department responsible for education in England.
• A third question, from Ronnie, asked if all options had been revised, as they believed that St Dominic's has the space to accommodate future plans around SEND provision and community hubs. Councillor Anntoinette Bramble responded that St Dominic's has a nearly £1 million deficit at the end of the financial year, and its projected deficit is over a million at the end of 2005, 25, 26 financial year.
• The final question from the public, asked by Sarah Byrne, was why the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor have not prioritised voluntary redundancy or securing staff in Hackney. Councillor Anntoinette Bramble reiterated that staff have to undergo the notice of redundancy to be considered for potential redeployment opportunities, and that any vacancy with any school is first advertised internally for a week to give those staff that will be leaving any potential school the opportunity to apply first before that goes externally to anybody else.

Other Business

The cabinet also observed a minute's silence to acknowledge the passing of Pope Francis.