‘The only garden they have’: Parents fighting to save primary school fear children will lose access to nature

Pooles Park School. Photograph: Catherine Galvin

Parents are fighting the proposed closure of a primary school which they say provides an eco oasis for children who have little access to gardens of their own.

The council is considering shutting Pooles Park school at the end of the Christmas term in December this year because of a fall in pupil numbers.

It currently has a 56 per cent vacancy rate in its reception classes, with just 20 pupils enrolled this year compared to 32 in 2019.

The school has 196 pupils in total, down from 319 in 2018.

It could become an academy rather than close if education bosses find a suitable partner.

The Town Hall said the London-wide problem is caused by a falling birth rate, a shortage of affordable homes, and the cost-of-living crisis – all of which have contributed to families leaving London.

The council said it was considering the closure of Pooles Park because “schools with fewer pupils get less government funding, which risks their long-term future and the quality of education”.

It added: “We want to ensure a sustainable future for our schools, and excellent education for our children so that they have the best start in life.”

The school was rated inadequate by Ofsted inspectors last year and put into special measures. The rating means the government can invite academies to take over.

Regional Department of Education bosses are considering applications from interested academy trusts which already run other schools.

Islington Council is asking people what they think about proposals to shut Pooles Park. Its consultation asks people if they understand the reasons for the proposed closure and to rate whether or not they agree with it. The survey closes on 26 May.

Campaigner Catherine Galvin said the school offers a much-needed green oasis for children and is urging residents to protest.

She said: “The school’s community garden is, for the majority of children, the only garden they have.

“It has been planted and regularly cared for by the children, families and thousands of volunteers over the years.

“Every child who attends Pooles Park engages in our environmental education project and has positive, personal, hands-on interaction with the rest of nature through growing organic food and a variety of other plants, as well as exploring and caring for all the wildlife.”

The school has picked up a range of eco awards, including WWF’s Green Ambassadors award, Eco-Schools Environmental Innovation award, Best Environmental School award, London in Bloom and Islington in Bloom.

Galvin said: “It is vital that the children are able to continue to attend their much-loved garden school where they have every opportunity to be outside learning through having much needed, hands-on interaction with the rest of nature as part of their daily school lives.”

Another parent who has four children at the school spoke about the worry of having to find an alternative that is not “overcrowded and far from where we live”.

The council’s executive will reach a final decison in June.

Earlier this month the council formally agreed to merge Copenhagen and Vittoria primary schools from the end of August. Pupils will attend school at the Copenhagen site.

Town Hall bosses said it was not viable to keep the primaries open because both have been under-subscribed for the last six years.