Oldhill Community School FAQs

Why is Oldhill Community School included in these proposed changes?

The Council is including Oldhill Community School in proposals because of the low number of children on roll and the deteriorating and unrecoverable financial position of the school. The school is located on a site with buildings capable of accommodating up to 2 forms of entry (60 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 Oldhill Community School?

The council believes Oldhill Community 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 Oldhill Community School with Harrington Hill Primary School?

Merging the two schools can bring several benefits. It would allow Oldhill Community School’s larger financial deficit to be removed by the Council. An enlarged Harrington Hill Primary School would have 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, breakfast and afterschool clubs. A two form entry school would be financially stronger with more focus on educating children and less on both these schools currently struggling to meet costs. 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.

Harrington Hill Primary School and Oldhill Community School are close, less than 1000 metres from each other or a 15 minute walk. Using Harrington Hill’s site for the merged school would increase the overall number of children on the site and provide places for Oldhill children.

More information can be found in the Cabinet report. 

What would the merger between Oldhill Community School and Harrington Hill Primary School look like? 

A merger with Harrington Hill Primary School would require the closure of Oldhill Community School and the enlargement of Harrington Hill from one form of entry (30 children per year group) to two forms of entry (60 children per year group), to accommodate the displaced Oldhill Community School pupils.

Why can’t Oldhill Community School host a merger with another school?

Oldhill Community School’s accumulated deficit (more than £780,000 in April 2024) would be written off by the Council in the event of closure, removing the unrecoverable financial burden from the continuing and enlarged Harrington Hill Primary School. Harrington Hill Primary School would therefore be in a better position to maintain quality education given the additional revenue that would result from having an increased pupil roll.

What would happen to the staff at Oldhill Community School in case of a merger or closure? 

The closure of Oldhill Community School will affect all staff including the Headteacher. 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 this transition, just as we would be supporting our children and families. This will include a programme of support, advice and training activity including access to an employee assistance programme, offering confidential advice and counselling. 

How many children does Harrington Hill Primary School have? How many children would Harrington Hill Primary School have if it merged with Oldhill Community 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 potentially impacted 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.

Will the merged school be given a new name?

If the proposal to merge Oldhill Community School with Harrington Hill Primary School goes through, the merged school will maintain the name Harrington Hill at this stage in the process. After the merge is finalised, the governing body can decide if they would like to consider changing the name of the school.

How will a merger affect children at Oldhill Community 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 additional 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 merge 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 Oldhill Community School?

Despite Oldhill Community 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 18% between October 2021 and 2023 census. The school is on a large site with buildings capable of accommodating two forms of entry but is only able to fill places for one form of entry. 

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 aren’t 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 can not be maintained without putting the quality of education for the children at risk, and negatively impacting on its children with the highest level of need. It is for these reasons that we are proposing to close the school. 

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.

What would happen to the additional resource provision (ARP) for children with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) if Oldhill Community School merges with Harrington Hill Primary? What would happen to it if Oldhill Community School closes?

Oldhill Community School has an additional resource provision (ARP), a specialist provision for 10 pupils with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC). 

If the proposal to merge Oldhill Community School with Harrington Hill Primary goes ahead, the council would move the ARP to Harrington Hill, so that the children who currently attend it could move over with it.

If Oldhill Community School closes without a merger, its additional resource provision will also close. The council’s intention would be to move the additional 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.

The council understands that these changes may be difficult for the pupils and will prioritise minimising the impact of proposals and promote continuity of provision wherever possible.

What would happen to the Oldhill Children’s Centre if Oldhill Community School merges with Harrington Hill Primary School or closes? 

The Children’s Centre at Oldhill Community School will remain on the same site and continue under the management of another school or the Council, regardless of the outcome of these proposals. The proposals for Oldhill Children's Centre subject to consultation earlier in the year to phase out places for 4 year olds will not proceed. This means that Oldhill Children's Centre will continue to offer places for children 0-5 years. 

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 Oldhill Community School in September 2024: Oldhill Community 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.