Educators and parents protested against Brighton and Hove City Council’s proposals to close St Peter’s and St Bartholomew’s Primary Schools outside Hove Town Hall on Thursday.
The council has proposed these school closures due to falling numbers of pupils in Brighton and Hove and a reduction in the number of children joining reception years in six primary schools.
This protest coincided with the council’s Children, Families and Schools Committee meeting, which discussed whether to recommend these school closures.
Kirsty Moore, parent of St Peter’s Primary School pupils, said: “The council are neglecting the West Sussex families of St Peter’s, like myself.
“The special educational needs children who can’t cope in bigger schools are just being told to go to bigger schools. But they won’t cope there with no support.”
St Peter’s and St Bartholomew’s Primary Schools have the lowest number of pupils compared with other primary schools in the city.
Kirsty Moore, said: “It’s making me ill. I’m worried about my children’s future. I don’t know where I am going to put them. I have looked into home-educating my autistic child. I would need to quit my job.”
According to the council, more than a fifth of primary school places in Brighton are empty, which impacts the funding of schools and the education they can provide.
Councillor Jacob Taylor, co-chair of the council’s Children, Families and Schools Committee, said: “We’ve heard throughout this process of the passion felt for both schools.
“We do understand these are upsetting decisions for our school communities and recognise the impact these proposals have upon the children, families, and dedicated staff at the schools. These are tough choices, and we are sorry the schools are in this position.
“However, reducing the number of empty school places is the right thing to do.”
Parents at this protest believe that the council should tackle the reduction in pupil numbers by building more family homes and reducing rent prices to encourage people to move into the city.
The final decision on these school closure proposals will occur in a special meeting of the full council on March 4, 2024, at 4:30 pm.
