04/02/2026
A school headteacher has vowed to fight on after councillors narrowly voted in favour of closing her school due to low pupil numbers
St Nicholas Church of England Primary School in Elstree has 45 pupils on its roll, down from 137 in 2021, as the UK undergoes a marked drop in the numbers of pre-school-aged children, not expected to rise again until 2040.
A meeting at Hertfordshire County Council’s Education, SEND & Inclusion Cabinet Panel on Friday (January 30) heard the school also has a “significant” budget deficit and received an Ofsted ‘Requires Improvement’ rating in October 2023.
Around 80% of parents living in its catchment area are choosing to send their children to other schools, despite St Nicholas being the nearest. Several cash advances have been provided to the school since 2021, totalling over £300,000.
Councillors at the meeting were divided over the school’s future, with some praising the “passion, drive and ambition” of staff and its “resilience” maintaining 45 pupils on its roll, while others pointed to the disadvantages of children from three or more year groups sharing classes.
Councillors voted six in favour of closing the school and six against, with chairman Cllr Mark Watkin using his casting vote in favour of the school’s closure.
After the meeting, headteacher Kate Johnston-Grant said: “Obviously, I’m disappointed, but I think the fact it came down to such a close vote in some respects was positive.
“Last time, some people abstained, so we had a better idea about where people are aligning in terms of their expectations for the school and its sustainability moving forward.
“It’s a difficult decision, but we’ve got things to go away and process now, and think about what our next plan is moving forward.”
Asked about the next step, Mrs Johnston-Grant said: “There are plans ahead to engage with a Judicial Review. We’re absolutely taking this to the end.
“I think the response we’ve had from the community has been amazing, and it shows how important it is that the school should fight and try to preserve our future.”
School Governor Rev David Alpin also told the Local Democracy Service that the school will explore a Judicial Review.
The school has received strong support from Hertsmere Borough Council, which has opposed the closure, as well as Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council.
The cabinet will consider the panel’s recommendation at its next meeting on February 11. Unless members object, another four-week consultation period on the proposals will follow, before the cabinet ratifies the decision on April 22.
A previous meeting on November 6 saw councillors provisionally agree to the school’s closure, subject to a public consultation. Documents at the latest meeting show a total of 473 responses were received, with the “significant majority” of respondents (95.1%) disagreeing with the closure.
Kate Leahy, the council’s head of school planning, ran through the figures and stated that parents would have alternative local primary schools to send their children, although she acknowledged that none of these were faith schools.
“It is the case that if parents want a faith school, they would have to travel further afield,” said Ms Leahy,
Cllr Ralph Muncer (Conservative, Knebworth & Codicote) praised the efforts made by staff and parents to support the school’s future.
He said: “It very clearly demonstrates that the parents and families at this school are steadfastly committed to this school, and they believe this school delivers the best education for their child.
“It’s because of that passion, that drive and that ambition that certainly, I think we should be looking to defer this decision.”
Cllr Muncer referred to government planning reforms and pressure facing local authorities for new homes to be built.
He added: “The last thing we want as an authority is to be having to close this school and then in a couple of years time to have to reopen it or expand another school because we don’t have capacity.”
Cllr Hillary Skoczylas, deputy head of the committee, said it was “reassuring” that the roll has maintained. However, she added: “Eighty per cent for whom this is their nearest school are not choosing it as their school. If I were looking at providing education that is local for children, that is not this school.
“The school currently operates on mixing three and four year groups in one class. The national curriculum is not designed for teaching four years together at one time… to manage that in one classroom is extremely challenging.
“This is a school that finished last year negative on quarter of a million pounds. If we continue to allow deficit budgets to keep escalating, we are looking at a forecast of half a million pounds by 2027.”
Cllr Skoczylas said members had a duty to look at “education quality and “financial responsibility across the entire educational landscape”.
Another voice in favour of a reprieve was Cllr Terry Smith (Reform, Buntingford), who said: “The school itself has 11 different uses for different organisations, it’s not just a school. It’s a whole ecosystem that’s going to go.”
Addressing why parents may not be sending their children to St Nicholas, Cllr Smith said it was “more possibly for religious reasons”, adding: “It does need a different approach and I do think we could give them more time.”
Councillors were deadlocked, with six votes in favour and six against, before the chairman used his casting vote in favour of shutting the school.
Cllr Mark Watkin, executive member for education, SEND & inclusion, said: “We recognise how difficult this situation is for the local communities involved. Decisions of this nature are never taken lightly; they follow thorough analysis and the careful exploration of all possible options to ensure a school’s long?term sustainability.
“Low pupil numbers create substantial challenges for schools in providing a good education and maintaining financial viability. Our priority is ensuring the best possible educational outcomes for children in Hertfordshire.”
✍Original copy via Local Democracy Service by Stewart Carr
