A primary school in Montpelier due to close is the “victim of gentrification and poor planning” according to one parent. Despite more than 2,000 petitioning Bristol City Council to keep St Barnabas Primary School open, the cabinet has now signed off its closure later this summer.
The 150-year-old school is only a quarter full and its pupil numbers have drastically fallen over the last few years. This means its funding has also been cut, leaving the governors late last year asking the council to consult parents on the school’s future.
Nine teachers and 13 support staff will be entered into the council’s redeployment scheme or made redundant. Before approving the closure on Tuesday, February 7, the cabinet heard a petition signed by 2,495 people, and presented by Lotty Cronk whose child is in reception at the school.
