Uckfield Primary School Closure Set To Go Ahead

The closure of an Uckfield primary school could be set to move ahead, following a six-week consultation process. 

Next Monday (September 11), Cllr Bob Standley, East Sussex County Council’s lead member for education, will be asked to agree to move ahead with the formal process of closing Holy Cross Church of England Primary School in Belmont Road.

If agreed by Cllr Standley, the council is expected to issue a statutory proposal later this month, which will trigger a second round of consultation. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the school is likely to close in December. 

This follows on from a six-week formal consultation on the plans over the summer, which generated 41 responses from parents, pupils, staff, and other interested parties. Of these, 71 per cent (29 respondents) opposed the school’s closure.

In a report set to be considered by Cllr Standley, the council’s director of children’s services Alison Jeffrey said:

“The majority of respondents to the consultation object to the proposed closure of the school, with concerns being raised about the impact on staff and children’s mental health and emotional wellbeing and the sufficiency of school places in the area. 

“However, the challenges the school has faced remain and will be made worse by the reduction of pupil numbers in the last year. No alternative suggestions have been identified through the consultation process that would address these critical issues. 

“The consultation responses have not identified any potential solutions or actions to address the issues the school faces. The views of the local authority and the diocese about the viability of the school remain the same. 

“The very low pupil numbers, the challenge of securing appropriate leadership and teaching staff for the school and the concerns over the quality of education that children are receiving leads us to conclude that closing the school at the earliest opportunity is in the best interests of the children and the school community.”

The report goes on to set out how other schools in Uckfield and the surrounding area would have sufficient capacity to take on all of the pupils currently on roll at Holy Cross. It also says the council intends to make mental health support available to staff, children and their families through support sessions and transition activities.

The report also touches on concerns about new housing development in Uckfield, specifically the 1,000 new homes set to be built at Ridgewood Farm. The councils says this development alone is likely to generate a significant number of school age children in the medium to long term, but does not consider that Holy Cross should be the school to serve them.

As previously reported, the council believes the school’s pupil numbers have fallen below a ‘viable’ level. On paper, the school is supposed to have space for up to 210 pupils, but only had 26 children on its roll at the last school census in May.

This reduction in pupil numbers had been ongoing for some years, coming alongside issues with staffing and school leadership. 

These issues have forced the school to reorganise into just two classes — one for Reception to Year Two and another for Years Three to Six — something which is considered to be having a negative impact on the quality and consistency of education.

The council says it has been working alongside the Diocese of Chichester to find alternatives to closure for some time (including both federation and academisation), but the school’s small number of pupils mean these other routes are not viable.

The prospect of a closure has been on the horizon for some time, with the school’s Interim Executive Board (IEB) writing to parents in March to raise this possibility. 

In a letter sent to parents at the time, IEB chairman Simon Chandler said:

“We recognise that this news will be very upsetting for you and that you will be anxious about what it means for your child(ren).

“I want to assure you our decision has been taken in the best interests of the children; at the centre of everything we do is a commitment that we all share to provide and excellent standard of education for all children.

“Sadly, we no longer believe that is possible at Holy Cross.”