Jo Riley couldn't bear to stay in London until the start of the new school year. She was principal of Randall Cremer Primary School in Hackney for 11 years until declining student numbers forced it to close at the end of August.
“Not being able to be there in September is one of the hardest things,” Riley said. “I had to flee London at the beginning of term. I couldn't bear to see our children and not be able to stand at the gate.”
The school building is now empty. “My parents asked me, 'What are you going to do about it?'”
They're not the only ones asking this question. Randall Cremer is one of several schools across the country that have closed due to a lack of students. Archbishop Tennyson's School, opposite London's Oval Cricket Ground, closed last year and is now owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, Prince William's former freehold estate. A spokesperson said: “We are preparing proposals for the future of the site.''
last year, guardian reported that more than 90 primary schools in England have closed or are at risk of closing due to a combination of falling birth rates and the displacement of young families due to rising housing and childcare costs. research by Educational Policy Research Institute In April, he announced that London, the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber are expected to see the biggest declines in student numbers by 2030.
Earlier this year, Lambeth City Council launched a consultation following the removal of 975 classrooms from schools between 2016 and 2025 (from 3,650 to 2,675). In January, it reported that there were more than 500 vacancies in Reception classes, representing almost 20% of the school. Total available.
Mr Reilly said high private rents in the area and a lack of suitable accommodation and public housing had played a major role in Randall Cremer's declining student numbers. Its closure was emotional for the local community.
“At the first meeting with the city council, there were a lot of families and a lot of tears and anger,” she said. “We were proud to be such a community-based school. After nearly 150 years of serving our community, [Randal Cremer was built in 1875]It almost penetrates into the fabric of the building. ”
Lukehope Primary School in Weirdale, off the coast of Northumberland, closed in August because it had just five pupils. Councilor John Shuttleworth, who lives in the village of Lukehope, said: [the building] Just in case the kids come back. ”
The region's demographics are changing, he says. “Unfortunately, since Covid-19 we have had a situation where the owner of the house passed away, the house was put up for sale and then people came in from London, the South East and Portsmouth. [people] The question for the City Council is whether it is right to educate five children of different ages in a school and not mix them with other children. I have to say probably not. ”
The local fluorite mine closed in the 1980s, and in 2002 the Weardale Blue Circle cement factory also closed. Dozens of families have since moved out, Shuttleworth said.
But last year, lithium, used in electric cars and rechargeable batteries, was discovered locally in County Durham, one of only two sources of the material in the UK. It is hoped that the mining factory that will be built to mine it will bring 1,000 jobs to the surrounding area.
“Hopefully…we can bring young people back to use our building,” Shuttleworth said.
Founded in 1699 by Thomas Tennyson, Archbishop of Canterbury, the historic St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for Girls has been based in Tulse Hill, south London, since 1928. The last GCSE results presentation was held the previous summer. It will close and become a treatment center, the brainchild of the charity Oasis and St Martin's Foundation Trust.
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The goal of the village, now called St. Martin's Village, is to provide care and supplementary education to young people who are “outcast” or otherwise underserved. The charity works with young people in partnership with voluntary organizations such as Crystal Palace Football Club's Palace for Life Foundation and music therapy organization Symphony.
A similar project was launched last year in a building at Kingsmead, a former independent school in Wirral, Merseyside, with a focus on supporting pupils at risk of serious crime and harm. Steve Chalke, founder of Oasis, said: “These sites cost a lot of money to run, so we need to focus on the needs of young people and how we can create a sustainable future for these sites and how we can meet their needs. We need to think with an entrepreneurial spirit about how we can respond to these challenges.”
Chalke hopes local governments across the country will take inspiration from Oasis' project and find ways to repurpose vacant school buildings.
In his view, closures leave owners and local governments with two options. They can either hire a security company to manage the building or sell the building. He doesn't think either is sustainable, especially if birth rates rise again, and that these places could play an important role in addressing the issues facing today's young people. I believe there is.
“How many great grassroots organizations do you know that teach karate, boxing, gardening, catering, etc.? They don't have a place to do it, and yet there are probably plenty of empty schools that need maintenance anyway. ” he said.
“So why not spend the same amount of money working with a local charity to responsibly manage, lease and care for the building and make it a hub for youth activities?”
