“This council report presents a grave danger to our local schools”Wansdyke Primary School in Bristol(Image: Google Maps)

Primary schools across Bristol could end up closing because of the decline in the number of children in the city, a council consultation has revealed. One South Bristol councillor said a Bristol City Council report that suggested there could be two primary school closures in his ward alone, was ‘a grave danger to our local schools’.

Bristol City Council has launched a consultation on how to deal with changing demographics in the city, with council chiefs asking what people think about their strategies on everything from childcare provision for two year-olds up to sixth form places for 16-18 year olds.

But buried in the reports and consultation documents is a wide-ranging assessment of pupil numbers in each local area around Bristol, the scale of the surplus of primary school places, and how many classes need to be cut in each area. Bristol Live revealed earlier this month the schools worst affected by the shortage of children to fill Reception class places this September.

Now, the council has produced its draft ‘School Organisation Strategy’ report. It divides Bristol up into 14 community areas, and already local councillors in one corner of Bristol are starting a ‘save our school’ campaign.

Two Liberal Democrat councillors who represent wards in South Bristol said they believe it is clear from the council draft document that education chiefs are looking at the possibility of closing two of the four smallest primary schools which are ‘one-form entry’ in the Hengrove, Whitchurch and Stockwood area, and there could be similar issues across the city.

Sign up to receive daily news updates and breaking news alerts straight to your inbox for free here.

The council document outlines how, in Hengrove, Whitchurch and Stockwood, there are four primary schools with a one-form entry capacity, and a shortfall of Reception age children to fill two forms this coming September. The four, smaller, one-form-entry primary schools in that corner of South Bristol are listed as Oasis Academy New Oak, St Bernadette’s, Wansdyke Primary, and Woodlands Academy.

The Lib Dem councillors claimed the implication from that was the council is looking at the future of two primary schools, rather than cutting the number of Reception classes in larger schools that are two- or three-form entry and keeping the smaller schools open.

Oasis Academy New Oak

But Cllr Tim Kent (Lib Dem, Hengrove and Whitchurch Park) questioned the accuracy of the council’s own figures. The council’s own figures show that three of those four smaller schools are actually reasonably in demand this coming September.

Of those four smaller schools, Oasis Academy New Oak will be welcoming 18 pupils into their Reception class this September, St Bernadette’s was having to expand with 47 pupils starting in September, Wansdyke has a full 30 starting and Woodlands Academy has 17 starting.

Cllr Tim Kent and Cllr Andrew Varney also questioned the figures the council were using to predict how many four year olds there will be in the area in the rest of the 2020s – especially because 1,400 new homes will eventually be built at Hengrove Park, with a thousand more on sites around the area of South Bristol.

READ MORE: Bristol schools crisis as 1,000 Reception places empty for SeptemberREAD MORE: Population of Bristol reaches over half a million for the first time ever

“This council report presents a grave danger to our local schools,” said Cllr Kent. “It recommends that two local forms are closed in our area. This most likely means we will lose two of our local primary schools,” he added.

“Their figures say that the number of children needing school places in our area will reduce over the coming years. This is a catastrophic miscalculation.

Cllr Tim Kent (Lib Dem, Hengrove and Whitchurch Park), pictured campaigning for the return of missing swings at the Hartcliffe Millennium Green playground(Image: John Myers)

“The report itself says that birth rates in the local area have stabilised, and we know that over 2,500 homes are going to be built nearby over the next few years.

“The demand on our schools is only going to increase. We must keep our local schools open,” he added. “To close them now would be a disservice to local families, and a betrayal of new ones hoping to move to the area,” he said.

His fellow Lib Dem councillor Andrew Varney (Lib Dem, Brislington West), is a member of the Children and Young People Committee.

“Ensuring that we have school places where we need them, when we need them, is essential,” Cllr Varney said. “Every child deserves the best possible start in life, and that shouldn’t be down to a postcode lottery.

“Families must have access to local school places and not be forced to go on lengthy school runs,” he added.

The Lib Dem councillors in Hengrove and Whitchurch Park have written to headteachers and governors in the local primary schools, and have launched a campaign to ‘keep local schools open’, that includes a petition.

Andrew Varney was elected in Brislington West in 2021(Image: Supplied)

The city council said its School Organisation Strategy is out for consultation, and urged people to have their say.

“The draft School Organisation Strategy sets out a clear and evidence-based approach to the specific actions we will take to shape Bristol’s educational landscape over the next three years, but with a longer term view of the direction of travel and our city’s needs,” a spokesperson said.

“The strategy would make sure the needs of communities in Bristol will be met while maintaining a commitment to high standards, inclusion, and equity for all children and young people.

“We are consulting with Bristol citizens on the proposed recommendations of the draft School Organisation Strategy for each of the education phases (from Early Years to Post-16) and our proposed strategic approach to pupil place planning,” they added.