GOVERNORS of three schools say they want to merge in a bid to “get ahead of the trend” of declining admissions.

Robinsfield Infant School, George Eliot Primary and Barrow Hill Junior School have announced a plan to come together as a two-form St John’s Wood Primary School. A consultation document said “changes to local schooling will be inevitable in the next few years” and that the plans will maintain the school “for many years to come”.

Schools across London have reported declining numbers due to a huge rise in wealthy families able and willing to pay for their children to be privately educated.

Staff compulsory redundancies have not been ruled out and talks with the education unions have begun.

A letter to parents from governors said: “In recent years there has been a decline in the number of primary-school aged children wanting to attend community schools across many inner London boroughs. There are many factors contributing to this trend including a falling birth rate, changing patterns of migration, the unaffordability of housing, and the cost of living.

“Despite best efforts and a strong educational offer, all three schools have a falling roll and have spaces in most year groups.

“As a result of the decline in pupil numbers, the current set-up of schools is not viable in the longer term.”

If confirmed Westminster City Council has approved a “significant investment” to transform the Robinsfield and Barrow Hill sites.

George Eliot would be “retained for educational purposes”.

Robinsfield is marked out as the “most vulnerable schools”, currently at 75 per cent capacity. Barrow and Eliot are at 82 and 85 per cent respectively.

Funding from the government is directly linked to admissions.

Several primary schools across the capital have been shut down or are facing closure because of the drop off of state-school pupils and the Extra has reported on funding concerns at Soho Parish C of E Primary School in recent weeks.

“Having three small schools means a greater proportion of the budget is spent on overheads in each school rather than on education, making this model difficult to sustain,” the governors’ letter said.

“Making this change now – before we might be forced to due to budget pressures – keeps the future in our community’s hands, allowing it to be shaped by our collective choices and preferences.”
Council projections show the total number of admissions in the St John’s Wood planning area in 2017/18 was 2,295. This dropped to 2,132 in 2022/23.

Despite the relatively small drop-off in admissions, official council projections suggest that the numbers in St John’s Wood will have dropped to 1,749 by 2027/28.

Cory Mclauchlan – the current head at George Eliot and Robinsfield – will be the headteacher of the new primary school under the changes.

The consultation runs until January 24 2025.