Parents are livid after their children – some as young as seven – learned about the possible closure of Cobourg Primary School before they did.
Mums and dads were stunned to discover that the Burgess Park school is set to merge with Camelot Primary School, Peckham, this September, via a letter handed to pupils on Monday, February 21, with many saying they weren’t aware until that day.
Furious parents gathered for crisis talks at the school on Thursday, February 23, which the press was abruptly barred from attending.
Cobourg Primary School set to merge with Camelot Primary School
Mum Dion Gould, 42, whose child attends Cobourg, said: “They gave us short notice in terms of them deciding to make a decision to close the school.
“I just feel they’ve done it so suddenly. Now we’re getting a letter saying we can no longer send our kids there. Nobody’s giving us any information.”
Some parents are particularly angry after they said that their bewildered children were handed a letter telling them of the possible amalgamation before they found out themselves.
The News understands that parents did receive an email about the merger, but only shortly before the letter was handed out.
Oluwaseun Ariye, whose son also attends the school, said children had “so many questions” that parents “don’t have the answers to”.
“You can’t just tell us on Monday! What about the mental state of these children? They’re worried ‘what if my friend is going somewhere else?’,” she said.
The letter given to pupils indicated that the proposed merger with Camelot was motivated by a recent fall in primary-aged children living in Southwark.
Twelve Southwark Primary schools are currently in a budget deficit and could face amalgamations, mainly because of falling pupil admissions.
Parents are speculating that Cobourg’s 2018 and 2022 Ofsted reports, both of which found the school ‘requires improvement’, had contributed to the decision to close.
Camelot Primary School on the other hand was awarded ‘good’ in its 2018 inspection.
Southwark Council has previously said schools’ Ofsted inspections would inform decisions about which ones close.
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Parents have been told that pupils will be guaranteed places at Camelot and teaching staff will keep their jobs at the new combined school.
Any final decision to close the school will only take place following a consultation process.
Southwark’s battle to retain schools is well-documented, with twelve primary schools currently in a budget deficit.
Families have left the area due to Brexit, covid-19 and regeneration. This, combined with declining birth rates, has slashed pupil numbers.
Funding is given to schools on a per-pupil basis so Southwark’s primary schools now face a total £2.8 billion budget shortfall which is causing the mergers and closures.
Elsewhere in Southwark, St Francesca Cabrini Primary School, Honor Oak, will shut in September and Townsend Primary School, Walworth, is also consulting on closure.