The decision to close a primary school described as the "beating heart of its community" is to be reconsidered after councillors raised concerns.
St Nicholas Elstree CE Primary was built to take up to 210 pupils – but currently has just 46.
Meanwhile, Albury Church of England Primary School could take up to 84 children, but has just 11 on roll.
Last week (April 22), a meeting of the county council’s cabinet agreed that both schools should close on August 31.
In making the decision, councillors acknowledged the financial impact of having such low numbers at the schools and the educational impact on the children, with classes made up of pupils of a wide range of ages.
But now opposition county councillors from Conservative, Labour, Green and Reform UK parties have formally asked for both decisions to be subject to further scrutiny before being implemented.
And the county council has scheduled a meeting of the overview and scrutiny committee to look again at the decisions, in light of the concerns raised.
A specially convened meeting of the council’s overview and scrutiny committee will be held on May 11 at 9am.
Confirming the scrutiny process – known as call-in – a spokesperson for Hertfordshire County Council said: “The cabinet decisions to proceed with the closure of St Nicholas and Albury schools have been called in for scrutiny, following a request made by a group of county councillors.
“The decision will now be considered by the cross-party overview and scrutiny committee within the next 10 working days.
“The committee can decide to let the cabinet decision stand or refer the decision back to the cabinet for reconsideration.
“The decision cannot be implemented until this process has been resolved.”
Commenting on the call-in, opposition spokesperson for education Cllr Ralph Muncer (Conservative, Knebworth and Codicote) said the closure decisions had been “absolutely devastating” for the families and communities around both Albury and St Nicholas.
He said there were “significant concerns as to the integrity of the decision-making process”.
“Schools are so often at the heart of our communities, and I know this decision is absolutely devastating for the families, staff and communities in Albury and Elstree,” said Cllr Muncer.
“Amongst other things, there are significant concerns as to the integrity of the decision-making process, which is why the Conservatives at the county council, spearheaded by local councillors, Cllr Mark Pope and Cllr Morris Bright, have initiated a call-in of these decisions.
“Further detailed scrutiny is essential, not least to try and secure responses to the many questions which remain unanswered by the administration..”
Leader of the Labour group on the county council, Cllr Nigel Bell (Labour, West Watford), is also among those to have called for further scrutiny of the decision to close Albury primary.
- Move to shut 'beating heart of the community' school passes by single vote
- 'Significant majority' oppose school closure as decision looms
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he had done so to ensure that everything had been “properly done”, given the strength of opposition there had been to the closure.
He suggested that he wanted to see that the opposition to the closure had been properly gone through and that the decision taken was consistent with other areas.
The proposals to close Albury and St Nicholas were presented to the cabinet by executive member for education, SEND and inclusion, Cllr Mark Watkin (Liberal Democrat, Nascot Park).
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he was not surprised that the decision had now been “called-in” for further consideration.
“It doesn’t surprise me in the least after all the opposition and all the political activity that has gone on,” he said.
“I would find it extraordinary if it hadn’t been called in.
Cllr Watkin stresses the financial and educational impact of having low pupil numbers at both schools.
He says that with two or three year groups having to be educated in the same classroom, the children aren’t receiving the right breadth of education or experience.
He suggests that families who live close to the schools have already been opting to send their children to neighbouring schools rather than Albury or St Nicholas
And he suggests the call-in process will “give more oxygen to the argument of why we are having to close these schools”.
Data shows that the number of children attending the county’s primary schools is declining in Hertfordshire, in line with national trends.
And presenting the closure plan to the meeting of the cabinet last week, Cllr Watkin had highlighted the local and national context.
He told councillors: “Across England, primary pupil numbers have been falling steadily since 2018/19 and are forecast to decline by another 7% by 2030,” he said.
“National analysis suggests that up to 800 primary schools could close or effectively disappear by the end of the decade, heaven forbid.
“In some areas, particularly London, the impact has been stark. Ninety primary schools have closed or merged in the past five years.
“While closures nationally have been gradual, the pace is now accelerating. And we must be clear about what this means fr a county like ourselves.
“In Hertfordshire, there are projected to be around 2,500 fewer reception age children by 2029/30, compared to 2015/16. That equates to 84 forms of entry.
“This leaves us with a responsibility, indeed a statutory duty, to ensure that the pattern of school provision reflects demand and that the schools which remain are stable, viable and able to deliver high-quality education consistently.”
Share