Uckfield School Closure To Go Ahead

The closure of an Uckfield primary school is to move ahead to the next stage, following a decision by a senior county councillor.

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

As a result, the council is expected to issue a statutory proposal later this month with the school likely to permanently close its doors in December following a final round of consultations.

The closure comes as 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.

Cllr Standley said:

“It’s not just about viability … it’s about quality of education. You can’t provide that in a school, which even a few weeks ago only had 30 students.”

He added:

“It is heart-wrenching in many ways. It is difficult for parents and it is actually emotional for people who used to go to the school; people are attached to their school. I know there has been a fair amount of comment on it. 

“But as I said, it is about quality of education and it is not sustainable and it hasn’t been.” 

The decision 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.

These figures appeared in a council report, which 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.”

Speaking after the meeting, an East Sussex County Council spokesman said:

“Following the consultation, the challenges facing the school relating to leadership, retention of staff, quality of provision and low pupil numbers remain, and the county council have concluded that closing Holy Cross Church of England Primary School at the earliest opportunity is in the best interests of the children and the school community.

“Having considered the consultation report, the Lead Member has approved the publication of a statutory proposal in respect of the proposed closure of the school on 31 December 2023.

“The statutory closure process means the school will not close before December 2023, and a final decision on whether the school will close will not be taken until the Lead Member decision making meeting on 14 November 2023.

“The council will continue to work with the school and will also support any families of the remaining pupils who want to identify an alternative school before that time.”