Education More schools could shut to tackle surplus primary places

SCHOOLS across Bristol could face closure under a new council strategy designed to tackle a significant surplus of primary places caused by falling birth rates.

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The School Organisation Strategy for 2025-2028, set to be considered by councillors tomorrow, outlines a plan to reduce surplus capacity by at least 50 per cent from the academic year 2027/28.

The document warns declining pupil numbers have left some smaller schools vulnerable to becoming economically unviable, meaning closures may be unavoidable in some cases.

Councillor Christine Townsend, chair of the children and young people committee, Bristol City Council, said: "This is not about closing schools; schools are the heart of our communities.

This proposed strategy is about planning for the future of our schools and about making sure that we have the right number of school places in the communities where they are needed."

Despite this assurance, the official strategy document explicitly states that while school closures must be a last resort, the decision will be "unavoidable" in some instances where schools with intakes of 30 or 60 reception pupils face financial inefficiency.