School places may be cut due to fall in enrolments

Schools in Islington may have fewer primary and secondary places for the 2025-26 academic year due to falling school rolls.

Multiple factors have contributed to declining enrolments in London schools, including lower birth rates, Brexit, high housing costs, and the urban exodus prompted by the pandemic.

The reduction in pupil numbers will also affect budgets, as government funding is tied to the number of pupils attending the schools.

Islington Council has begun a consultation inviting parents to share their views on the matter.

The local authority has already merged Copenhagen and Vittoria primary schools and was planning to close Pooles Park, which has since become an academy, due to reduced pupil numbers.

Decreasing numbers are also impacting secondary schools in Islington with a current vacancy rate of 16%, higher than the government's advisory surplus capacity of 5%.

Schools like the Arts and Media School in Finsbury Park are reducing their year 7 intakes to manage unfilled places, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The city of London Multi-Academy Trust is taking similar action by reducing its admissions.

In response to these challenges, Islington Council is planning to reduce the number of year 7 intake at 10 schools from 1,675 to 1,560 in 2025-26.

The council consultation said: "Our latest evidence on births, health visiting and GP registrations (of children under 12 months), indicate that a year-on-year reduction in births across the local area is likely to remain an ongoing trend."

Additionally, it is focusing on the reduction of reception classes, with schools like Prior Weston Primary and Rotherfield Primary expected to reduce their reception places.

The council said these changes were a necessary response to the current demographic trends.

It also said school places could be adjusted in the future should the need arise.

The consultation, which runs until 1 December, has also asked for feedback on whether admissions criteria should be changed.

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