Striking teachers have accused the council of “destroying the futures” of children by closing two local schools.
A retro double-decker bus filled with striking teachers, angry parents, and children drove to protest outside Islington town hall on Wednesday after months of battling the council over proposals to close Highbury Quadrant and St Jude & St Paul’s (SJSP) Church of England Primary schools.
Phoebe Oakley, a year 5 teacher at Highbury Quadrant, said: “Children are supposed to go to school, not balance the council’s budget.”
The bus, an open-top Routemaster, was adorned with balloons and a school flag.
Onlookers snapped pictures, as sirens blasted, bells rang, and protestors screamed “save our school”. Passing cars also honked their horns in support.
Dianne Brown, a striking teaching assistant at SJSP, said: “It’s such a happy school and such a happy place. It would be such a tragedy if we lost it.”
Duncan Mills, another striking teacher at SJSP, said: “Closing the school is social vandalism, you just aren’t going to get these services back once they are closed.”
While the council has promised a space for each of the children displaced by the closures, parents are worried about the distance their children will have to travel and their special needs requirements.
Holly Stuart, a mother of four, said: “We will definitely have to home-school one of my kids because of this. There aren’t any schools nearby that can cater for his special needs. We will be very lucky to get all of my kids into a single school, and it’ll be a long commute for them.
“Why are you coming after my children?” she asked. “I’d tell the council, ‘think before you act.’ These decisions are permanent and there are so many families just like mine. You can’t build a school from scratch.”
SJSP and Highbury Quadrant have been caught up in a wider trend of school closures across London.
Blessed Sacrament and Montem primary school were recently victims of this wave of school closures as they saw their doors close in 2024 having opened in 1900 and 1886, respectively.
Pippa Dowswell, the Joint Secretary for the National Education Union in Islington, said: “We had a school merger last year, which was essentially the closure of Montem school.”
On students settling into new schools, she added: “I’m speaking to teachers in the other schools and they’re saying these children are finding it difficult to fit in.”
Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn has previously said: “The damage done to a community taking a school away is irreversible. Once a school is closed you are not going to get another school out of it. They should be thinking long-term not this ultra-short termism.”
Ostensibly the council is closing the school because of falling birth rates and declining levels of enrolment, but detractors object to these claims.
The council recommended the closure of both schools due to their falling rates. Schools receive government funding calculated on the number of students they have. Falling rates at SJSP and Highbury Quadrant puts them in a budget deficit.
In an impassioned speech outside Islington Town Hall, Highbury Quadrant’s Ms Oakley said: “Certain things cannot be summed up by the statistics.”
In a 2024 report, London Councils claimed there has been a 17% decrease in London’s birth rates between 2012-2021.
An Islington Council spokesperson has previously stated: “Across London, because of a falling birth rate and changes to the local population, pupil numbers are falling, and Islington is no exception.”
The council has also said: “We are committed to putting children first and driving educational excellence through inclusive and sustainable schools.”
Paul Holborow, from the Socialist Workers Party, told Islington Now: “Islington council have a very simple choice. They either close schools or resist the government.”
Criticising Islington Council, Holborow added: “Islington Council’s response to Starmer is when he says jump, the council say how high?”
Pippa Dowswell remarked: “The amount of passion and love that the parents, teachers and children show for their school, it’s really astounding. But it’s really sad to see how they’ve been put in this situation.”
Islington Council declined to comment.
Jamie Boys is a student journalist from London. He is the beat reporter for Junction Ward, i.e. Archway, North London. He also has a by-line at the Standard. Jamie grew up in central London, but has lived in the USA and Australia. Jamie is a huge Chelsea fan and has had a season ticket his whole life. He has a particular interest in political journalism.
Luke O'Connell - reporter for Laycock. Former Editor in Chief of University College Cork's Political Magazine, Polity.