Tower Hamlets (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Tower Hamlets Council to decide on merging Globe Primary and Rachel Keeling Nursery into all-through schools for ages 3-11 amid declining pupil numbers.
Globe Primary School would be the new name of the institution, which would open in September 2025. Later tonight (January 29), the cabinet of Tower Hamlets Council will meet to deliberate on the ideas.
According to a consultation paper, a change in the borough’s demographics and declining student enrolment have resulted in an overabundance of school spaces in the west of the borough.
It noted:
“In addition, the [Department for Education] reduced the options for local authorities to supplement early years funding which the mayor had previously been able to use to sustain quality provision in Tower Hamlets nursery schools.”
How will the Tower Hamlets school merger impact students and staff?
Parents, employees, and governors from both schools participated in a public consultation between September and October 2024 to express their opinions on the ideas.
All 88 answers from both schools were in favour of the ideas, demonstrating the substantial support they received.
The two institutions said in a joint statement that the primary objective of the merging is to better use staff and resources in both educational environments.
Although Rachel Keeling Nursery can accommodate up to 120 children, as of September 1, 2024, there were only 65 students enrolled.
For each year group, Globe Primary has a stated admissions cap of 45 students. There were 327 students from Reception to Year 6 and 33 students in the nursery class as of September 1, 2024.
If the plans are approved, the new school would house the displaced Rachel Keeling students and include up to 90 nursery spots.
The actual school campus will remain open as the nursery for the new school, but Rachel Keeling Nursery will close in August 2025.
Together, the educational institutions informed the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS):
“The proposal to merge Globe Primary and Rachel Keeling Nursery Schools aims to provide smoother transitions for children and make better use of resources and staff across both educational settings.
“Joining the two sites will also help to ensure high-quality education is maintained and make the nursery provision more financially sustainable.” They added: “We are committed to supporting staff and families throughout the process to make any transition as smooth as possible. If the proposals are agreed at cabinet on January 29, we will continue with the statutory consultation to allow for any additional feedback.”
How is Tower Hamlets tackling declining school enrolment and surplus places?
According to a survey, the education system in Tower Hamlets is facing difficulties as a result of declining student enrolment, which is prompting speculation about school mergers.
Tower Hamlets’ overall primary school enrolment has declined, falling from 23,441 in 2022 to 22,995 in 2023.
There are many school spots available in the borough, especially for primary school students. Surplus capacity is expected to increase to 15% for secondary schools and more than 20% in certain primary planning regions by 2028/29.
Falling birth rates, negative net migration for preschoolers and elementary school-aged children, and a lower student yield from new housing developments are some of the reasons for the drop in the number of students. Between 2013 and 2022, the number of school-aged children dropped from 210 to 180 per 1,500 new houses.
To address these issues, Tower Hamlets Council formed the School Organisation Strategy Group (SOSG). The SOSG has supported short-term financial planning for certain schools and helped others secure vital financing.