Closure on the cards for Greenwich school with dwindling pupil numbers

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

A primary school in Greenwich is facing closure due to falling pupil numbers.

Greenwich council and the Archdiocese of Southwark have announced plans to close Holy Family Roman Catholic Primary School in Tudway Road, Kidbrooke at the end of this school year.

The school reportedly has room for 210 students but only currently has 128 on its register. Only 19 children were said to have started at the school last September.

The Archdiocese of Southwark, which manages the school, said that a significant reduction in pupil numbers had been exacerbated by a drop in the number of baptisms in recent years and that only six families had nominated the school as their first choice for September 2024.

They added: “Over the past decade, the Archdiocese has devoted considerable resources to support the school and address the issues around finance and pupil numbers.

“The school continues to have a decreasing population and the deficit will only rise, over the coming years. This leaves us with no option but to explore, through the consultation, the closure of the school.”

Greenwich council said the school was estimated to lose £118,000 by the end of this year, which would rise to £362,000 at the end of the following year.

The authority also cited the school’s ‘requires improvement’ Ofsted rating from June 2022 as a reason for the decreasing number of pupils applying to the school.

Parents can attend a consultation event in the school on January 31 and online on February 1. A final decision on the school’s closure will be made at a Greenwich council cabinet meeting scheduled for May this year.

Pupils currently attending the school would be transferred to other schools in September in the event of closure.

Picture: The school is situated in Tudway Road in Kidbrooke (Picture: Google Street View)