324-year-old school announces it will close over falling pupil rates

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

Another school in Lambeth has announced it will close as there are not enough children for it to remain open.

St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for Girls in Tulse Hill announced on Friday that it will shut for most students at the end of the summer term.

Headteacher Josephine Okokon said falling pupil numbers meant it no longer made financial sense to keep the 324-year-old school open.

The amount of money schools receive from the government is determined by how many students they have.

Pupil numbers in Lambeth are not expected to increase again until after 2030, Ms Okokon said.

In a letter announcing the school’s closure published on its website, she wrote: “There has been a significant decline in the number of young people living and going to school in Lambeth, meaning that we, along with other local schools, have seen our student numbers diminish in recent years.

“The number of pupils in Lambeth is not expected to increase for approximately eight years. Since funding for schools is awarded based on its pupil numbers, it is no longer viable for St Martin to continue operating as a school and deliver the level of education that our young people deserve; the substantive decision has therefore been made to begin the process of closure.

“It is proposed that St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for Girls will close to all current Year 7, 8 and 9 students, effective from August 31, 2023. The school will remain open until August 2024 for current Year 10 and 12 students to complete their qualifications.”

Current Year 11 pupils will have finished their GCSEs but won’t be able to progress to sixth form.

Schools across inner South London are suffering from falling numbers of pupils, which has been blamed on reasons as varied as Brexit, the pandemic, falling birth rates and a lack of affordable housing for families.

St-Martin-in-the-Fields is the second secondary school to announce its closure in Lambeth in a month.

In mid-April, Archbishop Tenison’s School in Oval revealed it would shut its doors in August due to a fall in the number of pupils applying to attend the 340-year old school.

To avoid closures, Lambeth council is reducing places at a number of primary schools in the borough from next year and intending to merge eight schools.

But the council has limited control over what secondary schools in the borough do as most, like St-Martin-in-the-Fields, are academies and outside of local authority control.

Ms Okokon said the all-girls school had looked into multiple alternatives to avoid closure, including accepting boys and merging with other schools in the area.

But she said none of the options “could overcome the fundamental issue of falling pupil numbers” in Lambeth.

The school said it is working with Lambeth council to find current Year 7, 8 and 9 students a place in a nearby Ofsted-rated good or outstanding school.

Lambeth councillor Ben Kind said: “Lambeth council will continue to work with St Martin-in-the-Fields School during the school’s period of engagement with the community, and representatives from Lambeth will be meeting with parents at the school to support them. When requested Lambeth council will also support families in finding single sex faith schools.”

Pictured top: St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for Girls in Tulse Hill has announced it will close (Picture: Google Street View)