The town hall is set to launch a six-week consultation on closing Edinburgh Primary School, which is operating below 20% capacity, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter
Waltham Forest Council has proposed closing a primary school in Walthamstow due to dwindling pupil numbers.
The town hall is set to launch a six-week consultation on whether it should close Edinburgh Primary School, which is operating below 20% capacity, according to a new report.
No final decisions have yet been made, and top councillors will decide whether the consultation will go ahead at a cabinet meeting next week.
It would follow a similar survey, launched in June, that could see the Lammas School in Leyton closed by August next year due to a similarly low pupil count.
Low pupil numbers means schools missing out on funding, which is meted out by the government based on enrollment.
Across the borough, Waltham Forest has capacity for 4,020 primary school pupils. The actual number of pupils on roll is 3,158 – 472 places below capacity – which results in an annual funding loss of around £2.54million.
If Edinburgh was to close, the site could be used to provide education for Waltham Forest children with special educational needs (SEND), the number of which is steadily increasing. This would likewise be subject to consultation.
In the report, published today (29th September), the council says that “falling demand for school places” across the borough means that maintaining the schools is “increasingly unsustainable”.
The town hall is looking to “reshape” its estate and redirect “underused capacity” to help meet rising SEND demands.
This will form the second phase of the borough’s Creating Stronger Schools programme, in which the council is “rethinking” and redesigning its education sector to meet future needs.
Phase one is aimed at increasing SEND places by 150 over the next four years and is currently underway, the council says.
Former Edinburgh headteacher Faye Rider resigned in November 2024 amid plummeting enrollment figures.
The school roll fell by 54% over six years – 521 children were enrolled in 2017/18, while just 239 were enrolled in 2023/24.
It has now fallen as low as 109 pupils, which is 17% capacity.
In a bid to manage enrollment, the council agreed to reduce the published admissions number – which limits a school’s annual intake – from 60 to 30 this year. This followed a reduction from 90 in 2022, and was also aimed at cutting staffing costs.
However, based on new figures, just eight children are currently in reception.
Barn Croft, Coppermill, St Patrick’s and Stoneydown schools all have capacity to absorb Edinburgh pupils if it does close and are within half a mile, the council says. Each has been rated good by Ofsted.
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Read more: Primary school head resigns amid plummeting pupil roll
Read more: Schools face reduced attainment or closure amid declining pupil rolls, councils warn
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