Sir Thomas Abney Primary School FAQs

Why is Sir Thomas Abney Primary School included in these proposed changes?

The Council is including Sir Thomas Abney Primary School in proposals because of the low number of children on roll and the deteriorating financial position of the school. The school is located on a site with buildings capable of accommodating up to 3 forms of entry (90 children per year group) but is only able to fill places for a 1 form entry (30 children per year group).

Having reviewed the school’s financial position against its reducing pupil roll the Council has concluded that the school’s deficit budget position is very likely to deteriorate further making it unsustainable in the medium term. To address the school’s deficit balance and reach a sustainable financial position it is likely to compromise the quality of education and standards at the school. This would also have an adverse impact on children with the highest level of need.

More information can be found in the Cabinet report. 

Why are there two proposed options for Sir Thomas Abney Primary School?

The council believes Sir Thomas Abney Primary School is not sustainable in its current form and options for both closure and merger should be considered for the school.

We welcome ideas and/or alternative options you may have about the future of the school. Your input, suggestions and feedback are important in helping us to further understand what the school means to the children, parents/carers, staff and local community. 

Why is one of the options to merge Sir Thomas Abney Primary School with Holmleigh Primary School?

Merging the two schools can bring several benefits. It would allow Sir Thomas Abney Primary School’s large financial deficit to be removed by the Council. An enlarged Holmleigh Primary School would give the school access to more funding with more children attending the school. This could provide more teachers, learning materials, and support extra activities such as school trips, and breakfast and afterschool clubs. There would continue to be a school in the local area so that children continue learning in a familiar environment, even if some changes are made.

Holmleigh Primary School and Sir Thomas Abney Primary School are very close, less than 650 metres from each other. Holmleigh Primary School children would therefore be able to travel to the new school site. Holmleigh Primary School is judged ‘Good’ by Ofsted and would benefit financially from becoming a two form entry school. This option would make good use of the bigger Sir Thomas Abney Primary School site for continued educational use.

More information can be found in the Cabinet report. 

What would the merger between Sir Thomas Abney Primary School and Holmleigh Primary School look like?

A merger with nearby Holmleigh Primary School would require the closure of Sir Thomas Abney Primary School and the enlargement of Holmleigh Primary School from one form of entry (30 children per year group) to two forms of entry (60 children per year group), to accommodate the displaced Sir Thomas Abney Primary School pupils.

Holmleigh Primary School would also relocate to the Sir Thomas Abney Primary School site to accommodate the enlarged school. The Holmleigh Primary School site is too small to house the pupils from both schools.

Why doesn’t Holmleigh Primary School close and the children move to join Sir Thomas Abney Primary School?

Sir Thomas Abney Primary School’s accumulated deficit (more than £400,000 in April 2024) would be written off by the Council in the event of closure, removing the financial burden from the continuing and enlarged Holmleigh Primary School. Holmleigh Primary School would therefore be in a better position to maintain quality education, as well as manage the costs of a larger site, given the additional revenue that would result from having an increased pupil roll.

Why doesn’t the Council decide to close both Sir Thomas Abney Primary School and Holmleigh Primary School and create a new school, instead of closing just one?

The Council does not consider an amalgamation with the creation of a new school is a necessary or appropriate option. A new school is not required in the area, as the number of children is falling and there is no projected increase in demand for local places. What is required is consideration of the need to close Sir Thomas Abney Primary School as the council is no longer able to maintain this school. There is also the need to consider the enlargement and therefore the relocation of nearby Holmleigh Primary School, in order to accommodate the displaced pupils from Sir Thomas Abney Primary School. This is what the statutory guidance refers to as an amalgamation (merger) that is primarily focussed on bringing together the two student bodies as one school on a single school site.

It should also be noted that when establishing the new school, Section 6A of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 places the local authority under a duty to seek proposals to establish the school as an academy (free school), in accordance with the ‘Free School Presumption’. The council does not consider it appropriate to seek to establish a new academy in respect of these proposals. 

What would happen to the Language Resource Provision that exists at Sir Thomas Abney Primary School if it merges with Holmleigh Primary School?

Would the children still be supported by the same speech and language therapists if the school merges with Holmleigh Primary School? 

Sir Thomas Abney Primary School has a language resource provision which provides extra support for pupils who have a diagnosis of developmental language disorder or severe speech disorder.

If the proposal to merge Sir Thomas Abney Primary School with Holmleigh Primary School goes ahead, the council would move the language resource provision to Holmleigh Primary School, so that the children who currently attend it could move over with it.

The council will prioritise minimising the impact of proposals and promote continuity of provision wherever possible, but can not guarantee all children will continue to work with the same therapists that currently support them. 

What would happen to the staff at Sir Thomas Abney Primary School in case of a merger or closure? 

The closure of Sir Thomas Abney Primary School will affect all staff. The Council will provide all staff with support to have the confidence to apply for new roles. There may be redeployment opportunities available within the Council for staff affected by redundancy. Our priority would be to ensure that staff at risk of redundancy are supported fully throughout, just as we would be supporting our children and families. This programme of support will provide advice and training, including access to an employee assistance programme offering confidential counselling.

How many children does Holmleigh Primary School have? How many children would Holmleigh Primary School have if it merged with Sir Thomas Abney Primary School?

The number of pupils likely to be impacted is set out in the table below based on the May 2024 census and Reception 2024 offers, in July 2024. The number of children is constantly changing as pupils join and leave schools. 

It is anticipated that some families will exercise their right to apply to other schools local to their home and move children prior to a final decision.

Why would the merged school be called Holmleigh Primary School, if it moves to Sir Thomas Abney Primary School’s site? Can the school be given a different name?

If the proposal to merge Sir Thomas Abney Primary School with Holmleigh Primary School goes through, the merged school will maintain the name Holmleigh Primary School at this stage in the process. After the merger is finalised, the Holmleigh Primary School governing body may decide to consider changing the name of the school.

How will a merger affect children at Sir Thomas Abney Primary School with special educational needs? Will they receive the support they need?

The council will work with schools and families to ensure that children with SEND, with or without Education, Health & Care plans (EHCPs), including those who attend the language resource provision (more details below) continue to receive high quality, suitable provision that meets their needs. EHCP applications that are in process will continue to be assessed with support from the plan coordinators.

Is the merger going to affect school uniforms?

After the merger is finalised, the governing body can decide if they would like to consider any change to uniforms. All families will be able to apply for support with the cost of buying new uniforms if that is required as a result of implementing proposals.

What if I want my child to attend a different school?

Parents have the right to apply to other schools and move their children at any time via the council’s In Year Admissions process. If the council decide to close/merge schools in April 2025, then from that decision until the end of the school year, children whose school will close will be given extra priority for places at most Hackney schools (ie. those where the council is the admission authority)

Although parents have a right to apply for an alternative school place at any time, we hope children will stay at their current school through to the end of the academic year to support their wellbeing, so that they have a proper ending at the school and then all transition together to the new merged school in September 2025. 

A dedicated admissions officer will assist parents with information and guidance and will support families to apply for alternative schools if that is what they prefer.

Why is one of the options to close Sir Thomas Abney Primary School?

Despite Sir Thomas Abney Primary School being judged by Ofsted to be a ‘Good’ school, it has experienced falling rolls over recent years. The number of pupils on roll has declined by 27% between October 2021 and 2023 census. The school is on a large site with buildings capable of accommodating up to three forms of entry but is only able to fill places for one form of entry. The large site has high maintenance costs that have contributed to the school’s large deficit balance.

Running a school takes a lot of money - from paying teachers, to looking after the building, and making sure children get the best education. When there are not enough children, it becomes even more challenging to keep up the quality of education that all children deserve, and puts the school at risk of increasing its debt. 

Having reviewed the school’s financial position and plans for future sustainability, the Council believes the school cannot be maintained without putting the quality of education for the children at risk, and negatively impacting children with the highest level of need. It is for these reasons that we are proposing an option to close the school.

What would happen to the Language Resource Provision if Sir Thomas Abney Primary School closes? 

Sir Thomas Abney Primary School has a language resource provision which provides extra support for pupils who have a diagnosis of developmental language disorder or severe speech disorder.

If Sir Thomas Abney Primary School closes, its language resource provision will also close. The council’s intention would be to move the language resource provision to another local school and the pupils currently attending would be able to attend the school where the provision is moved to. The children's transfer would be undertaken as part of a review of their individual EHCPs and under a phased process to minimise disruption and ensure a smooth transition.

Will families with more than one child be supported so that their children can all go to the same school? 

The council will work closely with affected families to ensure all children are offered a suitable alternative school place if proposals are implemented. A dedicated admissions officer will assist parents with information and guidance and will support families to apply for alternative schools. The council will ensure that applications for siblings are considered together and all children in the same family are offered places together at the same school. 

If the school closes will we be guaranteed a place in our chosen school, local to our home?

If the council decide in April 2025 to close/merge schools, then from that decision until the end of the school year, children whose school will close will be given extra priority for places at most Hackney schools (ie. those where the council is the admission authority).The council will offer all children a place at a suitable alternative school, but it is not possible to guarantee places at each parents preferred school as some schools may be full already.

Parents have the right to apply to other schools and move their children at any time via the council’s In Year Admissions process.

Where can I find more information about the proposals?

You can find the latest information on the project page. You can also access the initial information pack distributed to families with a child at Sir Thomas Abney Primary School in September 2024: Sir Thomas Abney Primary School information pack.

How can I share my views on the proposals?

We are now asking parents, staff, and all others interested to share their views as part of this consultation on the proposals. Your opinions and comments submitted during this stage will be considered before any further decisions are made. 

We welcome ideas and/or alternative options you may have about the future of the school. Your input, suggestions and feedback are important in helping us to further understand what the school means to the children, parents/carers, staff and local community. 

You can take part in the consultation by completing the response form.