A school in Wigan that is struggling for numbers is set to close its doors for good after the council revealed it would be half-a-million pounds in debt by the 2024/2025 school year. Abram Bryn Gates Primary School will close on August 31, 2023 “in the best interests of educational provision in the Abram area”, a cabinet meeting heard.
Wigan Council officers have used projection data to see that there will not be a large enough rise in demand for places that cannot be tackled by other schools in the area - despite what objectors say. There are eight housing developments currently under construction in the area, but none of those would yield enough student places for the council to keep the school open.
There are currently no plans to replace the Lily Lane based site - which means the number of schools in the area will be cut from four to three.
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Giving reasons for their decision following the meeting in the town hall, the cabinet said: “The recommendation to close a school was always a difficult one, however consideration must be given to the impact that declining school budgets and falling numbers of pupils on roll had on all children within an area. The council would continue to review places within the area to ensure that there was balanced sufficiency.”
A report showed that the school had made savings where possible and projected further savings if they moved to a four class structure and removed a teacher and teaching assistant. However, it was thought that projections continued to indicate that the school will have budget deficits and therefore will not be sustainable over the longer term.
“If no action is taken to reduce surplus places, this will have a significant financial impact for the schools in this and neighbouring localities,” a report said. “Based on current pupil numbers and a revised school budget (detailed below) the cumulative deficit for the school is projected to be around -£570,000 by 2024/25.
“There is likely to be an impact on staff who may be made redundant. Staff will be supported by our HR team. In the event of school closure staff will be supported to seek alternative roles and to seek to mitigate any potential compulsory redundancies as far as reasonably possible.
“The local authority is responsible for ensuring sufficiency of school places, that is, there are enough places available for its residents. Whilst it must have regard to the wishes of parents and offering a range of provision, it can only do this where there is financial viability to do so.”
The following primary schools are within a two-mile walking distance:
▪ Holy Family Catholic Primary School
▪ St John’s Church of England Primary School
▪ Platt Bridge Community School
▪ St Wilfrid’s Catholic Primary School
▪ St Mary’s CE Primary School
The council said that efforts will be made to help siblings currently attending Abram Bryn Gates move to the same school to avoid them being split up.
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