Parents have said they are upset and disappointed that their children’s primary school is likely to close because of falling pupil numbers.

On Monday (September 25), Hackney Council’s cabinet agreed to publish statutory proposals to close four primaries in the borough – De Beauvoir, Randal Cremer, Colvestone and Baden Powell. 

Princess May Primary School will take pupils from Colvestone, with children from Baden Powell moving to Nightingale.

Once published, residents will have 28 days to respond to the statutory notices agreed by cabinet.

The Save Colvestone School campaign has served the council with a letter warning they intend to take legal action over the planned closure.

The letter highlights concerns over provision for children with special educational needs (SEND) and air quality at Princess May.

Deputy Mayor Anntoinette Bramble said the council looked at its report carefully before bringing it to cabinet, and the campaign’s pre-action legal letter had been a consideration.

Colvestone parent Mike Cooter said: “We are disappointed by the decision and what it means for the future of the school.

"Many families picked Colvestone for their children because it has a single form entry. The council’s consultation gave no alternatives.”

Cllr Bramble said it was a difficult decision that the council had agonised over.

Schools across London are facing falling rolls, with the biggest drops at primary schools.

The six schools earmarked for closure lost £4m after seeing their total number of unfilled reception places go from six out of 270 in 2014 to 101 out of 225.

This is because government funding is based on the number of pupils attending each school.

In the last school year, Hackney’s primaries had 634 empty desks in reception – more than 20 per cent of available places.

Deputy Mayor Bramble told parents: “If I could change it I would. I cannot change the birth rate for children coming to school.”


Parents of pupils at Colvestone School asked if the council had considered the impact of new 600 homes in Dalston which could see more families move into the area.

Deputy Mayor Bramble said: “Even with those projections, not enough children will be moving into the area.”

Dorothea Kanellopoulou, the SEND parents’ representative at Colvestone, questioned the council’s support after it initially gave them just over two weeks to select alternative schools for their children.

The council is commissioning more SEND places and more staff to offer educational and psychological support, said Bramble.