Headteachers have said they are worried about potential closures of more primary schools in Bristol due to falling birth rates. One primary school is already closing this summer while others across the city are struggling with fewer pupils and shrinking budgets.
St Barnabas Primary School in Montpelier will close this summer despite protests from parents. Bristol City Council bosses approved the closure in February earlier this year after pupil numbers at the 150-year-old school began to fall dramatically, as did its income. In 2021, St George CE Primary School near Brandon Hill closed down as did St Pius X Primary School in Withywood.
A falling birth rate in Bristol since 2012 has left many primary schools taking on fewer pupils each year — and school budgets are linked to how many pupils they teach. Concerns about the wider effects of the issue were raised during a schools forum meeting on Tuesday, May 23.
