We're proposing to close Gallions Mount Primary School by August 2025, and you can comment on the proposal.

The deadline for comments is Friday 20 December 2024.

Why we're proposing to close the school 

The number of pupils applying to Gallions Mount has significantly decreased in recent years. With 210 spaces available and only 169 filled, the school is losing funding year after year. Low pupil numbers also impact on the school experience for students, as there are fewer opportunities to socialise and less staff.

With fewer pupils choosing this school, it's less likely it will be financially viable to keep running. If the school stays open, we're projecting over £1m in losses by the end of 2026.  

The reason for spaces not being filled has been mainly down to the declining birth rate in England and Wales, which has been widely reported in the last year.  

If the school closes, pupils will be placed in nearby schools where there is currently enough capacity to accommodate them.

It's also expected that there is sufficient capacity in the existing provision to meet a growth in demand, for example, to meet the needs of families moving into new flats being built in the area.

Comment on the proposal 

We will be led by the Department for Education (DfE)'s statutory guidance on how to close a maintained school. This consultation is the first stage of a 5-stage process.

In the first stage, we're asking for your views to help us decide the future of the school.  

Comment on the proposal to close Gallions Mount Primary School 

The deadline for comments is Friday 20 December 2024. 

We'll also be holding consultation meetings with staff and parents. These will take place in-person at the school and as a virtual public meeting. 

Come to a virtual public engagement event on 4 December 

We'll be holding a public engagement event on the proposed closure on: 

Date: Wednesday 4 December 2024
Time: 6pm 

Joining details 

Join the public engagement event

Meeting ID: 845 6221 5549 
Passcode: 736772 

Timetable of events

This table shows a proposed timetable of events related to the proposal to close Gallions Mount School: 

Event	Expected dates
Stage 1: Initial informal consultation period on school closure	20 November to 20 December 2024
Stage 2: Publication of statutory notice of proposal on school closure	10 January 2025
Stage 3: Representation - statutory consultation period on school closure	10 January to 7 February 2025 (4 weeks)
Stage 4: Decision - Report to Cabinet to determine decision on statutory proposal to close school	12 March 2025 (subject to a 5-day call-in period)
Stage 5: Proposed implementation of the school closure	31 August 2025