We're used to stories of rural primary schools closing, but yesterday the Guardian had something different: a report on the uncertain fate of Soho Parish C of E primary school:
Sandwiched between a strip club, a West End theatre and a pub might not be the most obvious location for a school but Soho Parish C of E primary has thrived for decades among the colourful charms of inner London.
But in an area that once had 16 schools, Soho Parish is the last remaining and its time may soon be up, a victim of the post-Covid downturn and falling pupil numbers that are forecast to close hundreds of primary schools across England.
In his article, the paper's education editor Tim Adams quoted a couple of parents. One said:
"The problem is that people around here aren’t having children. There’s actually council housing hidden here and there but there’s nothing much for families. It’s mainly old people and single people. That’s up to the council."
And a second:
"Without this school it’s all just tourists, isn’t it?"
But this sort of story about urban schools will soon become familiar. Adams says:
Westminster has already experienced the largest decline in primary pupil numbers among local authorities, a fall of 16 per cent in the past five years. And new national forecasts suggest England is going the same way, with primary and nursery numbers falling by nearly 473,000 between now and 2031, the equivalent of more than 1500 primaries without pupils.
The Soho school is organising to resist closure and drawing up plans for the future, and it may be distinctive enough to survive. But may other urban primaries won't.
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