Parents of a beloved Walworth primary school slated for closure are organising a petition to protest against the plans.
As revealed by the News last week, consultation on the closure of Townsend Primary School, near Salisbury Row Park, will begin on January 3 2022, with the school possibly closed by September.
A letter sent to parents from the school stated that Walworth had seen a high fall in the number of schoolchildren. According to 2021 census data, Townsend has 173 pupils, with a maximum capacity of 262 – meaning in the last academic year, it was operating at only 66 per cent capacity.
The parents are desperate not to lose their school, which one stated is “more than just a school”, and hope a petition will encourage the council to look for other solutions. The petition is currently at 134 signatures.
“It just can’t happen,” said mum Katy Scriven, whose daughter Jessica, 8, is “devastated” at the decision to potentially close her school.
Parent Bridgette Findlay is also worried about what will happen to her child. Her 9 year old son has sickle cell disease, something which is made worse by stress.
“The proposed closure of the school will not only affect his educational needs but his condition too,” she said.
“The school has about 20 or more children who are special needs and have been looked after greatly. Their parents have the same concerns that their children are going to be unsettled if the school is closed down.
“All people seem to be talking about is their financial loss, not the welfare of our children or the impact on our community.
“I can take my son to another school but who knows if they’re are not the next one in queue to be closed.”
Councillor Jasmine Ali, Southwark’s deputy leader and cabinet member for children, young people and education, said: “Deciding whether or not to close schools is not where any of us would choose to be.
“At this stage it’s important to say that no decision has been made to close the school. This is a period of consultation and no decision will be taken until summer 2022. In the meantime, the main priority for us all is to support the parents, children and staff affected.”
Townsend Primary School has not yet responded to the News’ request for comment.