A primary school in London's most affluent borough has been left with the "difficult" decision to consult on its closure after 150 years amid dwindling birthrates in the capital.
St Cuthbert with St Matthias Church of England Primary School in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea sent out a letter to parents and carers on Tuesday to announce the news “with a very heavy heart”.
The school highlighted falling birth rates and a lack of affordable housing for families in London as reasons for the decision, as well as migration out of the capital after the pandemic.
In the letter, it mentioned that various options had been considered, such as a merger with another school.
But with over half of its places currently vacant, which impacts funding, the school’s governors are now consulting a proposal for its closure.
The Council and the diocese will support the consultation process and, once it ends in May, Governors will make a recommendation about whether the proposal should move to the formal consultation stage.
If the proposal goes ahead following a final decision in July, St Cuthbert with St Matthias CofE Primary School will close on December 31.
Catherine Faulks, the council’s Lead Member for Family and Children’s Services, will meet with parents in the coming days and after Easter to provide further details on the steps being taken.
This includes finding school places for its 83 pupils currently enrolled at the school should it shut down.
Carla Muñoz Slaughter, the governors’ chairman, said: “Given that schools are funded on the number of pupils who go to the school, fewer children means a school has a reduced budget – and managing this reduction means some hard choices have to be made.
“This is a sad day for St Cuthbert with St Matthias School and everyone in our community. I know how difficult this news is to hear, and we start this consultation with a very heavy heart.”
Founded in 1874 as a small choir school for boys, St Cuthbert with St Matthias CofE Primary School was rated “Good” during its last Ofsted inspection in 2021.
Former alumni includes the BRIT Award-nominated singer and television personality Rita Ora.
However, the school on Warwick Road is suffering from a 40% capacity rate, alongside a deficit of £300,000 — the largest of any state school in Kensington and Chelsea.
School leaders have even been forced to run mixed-age classes to cope financially.
A report published last month by London Councils, the capital’s local government association, has forecast that between 2024/25 to 2028/29, there will be a 3.6 per cent drop in demand for reception places and a 2.9 per cent drop for Year 7 places.
The drop in demand has been fuelled by a 20% decrease in London’s birth rate between 2012 and 2022 — a reduction of 27,490 live births across the capital.
London Councils said the city’s falling birth rate is “mainly due to the severe shortage of affordable family housing”, which has discouraged Londoners from having children.
