Teachers from two Islington primary schools will be going on strike tomorrow (Wednesday 5 March), following the council’s proposal to close the schools last Friday.
Primary schools Highbury Quadrant and St Jude & St Paul’s Church of England (SJSP) could close at the end of the school year, on 31 August 2025, depending on the formal decision in April.
Andri Andreo, whose children attend SJSP, told Islington Now that teachers and supporters will be on the picket line from 8:15 am. An open top bus will take teachers and parents along to Highbury Quadrant School before heading to the Town Hall.
The strike comes after a lengthy battle with the council after it announced plans to close SJSP on November 15 due to budget constraints.
The 167-year-old school currently has only 113 of its 210 spaces filled, the lowest in Islington. According to Islington Council, every unused school place causes a funding loss of £6,058 per year.
Teachers also went on strike last week and marched to the Town Hall with parents and children.
At a meeting on 27 February, Islington Council gave notice that it intends to close the schools after moving into a formal consultation on 14 February.
In a statement, Islington Council said: “All displaced pupils would have access to Ofsted rated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ local provision which have spare capacity to accommodate all pupils from St Jude and St Paul’s Church of England Primary School.”
Araminta Plumptre is a student journalist at City University with a specific focus on her reporting beat, Finsbury Park. Araminta has by-lines at ELLE magazine and experience at The Daily Telegraph she is interested in arts and culture writing alongside international journalism.
Priya is an MA Newspaper Journalism student, covering the Bunhill ward in Islington. She has previously written for the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal, where she reported on industrial action, arts and culture, the UK general election, and more.