Protest held over plans to close three Enfield schools

Protest held over plans to close Enfield schools Image caption, Pupils, parents and school staff gathered outside Enfield Civic Centre on Tuesday night By Alison Earle , London and Amy Clarke , London Published 1 hour ago Parents, pupils and staff have protested against plans that could see three north London schools close because of falling pupil numbers. Campaigners gathered outside Enfield Civic Centre, ahead of an overview and scrutiny committee meeting on Tuesday evening, to oppose proposals affecting Bishop Stopford School, Starks Field Primary School and Suffolks Primary School.

The plans were put forward by Enfield Council's Conservative administration but were later "called in" by Labour councillors, triggering further scrutiny before they can progress. The council said it was committed to a "fair, transparent and evidence-based consultation" and would consider all responses before making any decision. The council says all three schools have been identified as being at high risk because of falling and projected pupil numbers, surplus places, budget pressures and the impact of reduced pupil funding.

According to a council report, Bishop Stopford School is operating at less than half its capacity, while Starks Field Primary School is below 45%. Suffolks Primary School is projected to fall below 37% occupancy by 2029. Image caption, A sign made by a student at Suffolks School, which would close under the proposals Among those at the protest was Andrea Cassius, head teacher of Suffolks Primary School, who questioned why the school had been selected despite recent investment in specialist provision for children with additional needs.

"The pupil numbers have been declining, so that is the true picture," she said. "But what is happening is the SEN (special educational needs) numbers are increasing." Cassius said the school had opened autism units for key stage one and key stage two pupils, alongside speech and language support and other inclusion services. "We've got a huge range of needs that we meet within our school," she said. "We've been working with the borough for two years on giving the borough something that's well needed within the borough to support all of our families."

Devastating for families Hollie Welch, whose son attends Suffolks Primary, said closing the school would be "absolutely devastating" for families whose children rely on its specialist support. Her son joined the school in January 2025 after what she described as a "really hard process" finding a school able to meet his needs. Welch said another school had told her he was "unteachable" and would never progress beyond reception level, something she knew "wasn't true".

After visiting Suffolks, she said she immediately felt it was the right environment for him. Since joining the school, she said her son had gone from barely being able to read or write to working above his age group. Welch said she was concerned about what would happen to children attending the school if it closed. "There is nowhere else for him to go," she said. "There's no other specialist classes or mainstream classes that would be able to accept him in Enfield.

It's full, everything is full." Image caption, The protest took place ahead of a council meeting on plans affecting three schools Enfield North MP Feryal Clark, who also attended the protest, said closure "shouldn't be the first point of call", especially at a time when demand for SEN provision was growing across the borough. She also raised concerns about the impact on pupils at Bishop Stopford School if the proposals were ultimately approved.

"You've got children in the middle of studying for their GCSEs and A-levels. Where are they going to go?" she said. Labour councillor Ian Barnes, whose group called in the decision, said falling pupil numbers were a national issue but argued school closures should not be taken lightly. "There are solutions apart from closing the schools," he said. Barnes said Labour councillors wanted the proposals subjected to greater scrutiny and debated by the full council, arguing there were "lots of discrepancies" and "lots of inconsistencies" in the information underpinning the plans.

An Enfield Council spokesperson said no decision had been made about the future of any individual school and that any closure proposal would be subject to a full consultation. If the plans proceed, a six-week consultation will begin on 9 November, with parents, pupils, staff and residents invited to comment on the educational, financial and community impact of any closures. Tuesday's meeting will determine whether the proposals move to consultation, not whether the schools close.

Any final decision would be taken at a later stage. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook , external , X , external and Instagram , external . Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk , external Related topics London Enfield Schools Primary schools More on this story Sudden nursery closure shocks parents and staff Published 1 June 2024