Soho's last remaining school could be merged and relocated to a site in Fitzrovia, according to leaked plans that suggest the move may begin as early as next April. A draft proposal obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) outlines how All Souls and Soho Parish primary schools are potentially set to combine due to declining pupil numbers.
Soho Parish, in particular, has experienced a significant drop in enrollment, with only 81 pupils registered as of April, leaving 94 places vacant. If the plan receives approval from governors, a public consultation is expected to launch in early June, and the proposed new school would open on the current All Souls site in April 2027.
Background of the Review
The draft document follows previous reports by the LDRS that an independent review had been completed by the consultancy Isos, assessing future school place planning in Westminster. At that time, Westminster City Council's Chief Executive, Stuart Love, stated that no schools were planning amalgamations or closures for the current academic year, a statement a well-placed source described as a hollow technicality.
In response to the proposal, Councillor Hannah Galley, Westminster City Council's Cabinet Member for Children and Education, said there are currently no school-led consultations underway in the area regarding organizational changes. Both Soho Parish and All Souls were approached for comment.
Financial Challenges
Westminster schools are facing acute financial difficulties due to falling pupil rolls. Fewer students mean reduced government funding, with Soho Parish among those raising concerns about their long-term sustainability. As reported by the LDRS just before the May 7 elections, a detailed review by Isos had been shared with the local Schools Forum in January.
The review's executive summary described it as an investigation into ensuring the future financial viability of Westminster's state-funded schools while maintaining high educational quality by 2030-2035. Isos recommended that Westminster set an ambition to have a preferred option for the borough's most at-risk schools within four months. Concerns were raised that potential closures were being kept from the public until after the elections.
Proposal Details
Some fears appear to have been vindicated by the draft proposal shared shortly after May 7. The LDRS understands it was sent to governors on May 24, with a vote scheduled for the following week. A public consultation is then set to launch on June 8.
The report reveals that Soho Parish's pupil roll is expected to shrink further by September, with a projected 107 vacant places. All Souls has more stable numbers but still has unfilled spots. The governing bodies propose merging the two schools into a single one-form entry primary for children aged 3 to 11, based in Fitzrovia. The report states: "The proposal will also include maintaining the existing autism resource base and may include a nursery provision for 2-year-olds. The school will be called All Souls with Soho Parish CE Primary School." It adds that Westminster Local Authority supports the proposal, but it remains subject to consultation. If agreed, the new school would open on April 12 next year, with Alix Ascough of Soho Parish as its headteacher.
Community Reaction
A source described the proposal as a done deal, with a new name and headteacher already identified. They said: "The proposed school amalgamation strategy currently being fast-tracked across specific central London sites is not a response to an inevitable demographic crisis; it is the result of deliberate financial engineering." They added that these schools remain robust and vital cornerstones of the community, and the current crisis has been manufactured behind closed doors. They claimed that local funding cushions, such as the Minimum Funding Guarantee, have been systematically stripped away.
The source also noted that senior council leadership has admitted in writing that local ward councillors have been excluded from the process. They demanded an immediate halt to the consultation track for an independent governance review.
Councillor Galley reiterated that no school-led consultations are currently happening in Westminster about school organization changes. She noted that the Schools Forum commissioned the Isos report, and its recommendations are being reviewed over the summer by schools, the council, local dioceses, and academy trusts.
Westminster has seen several struggling schools amalgamated in recent years, including Barrow Hill Junior School, Robinsfield Infant School, George Eliot Primary School, Our Lady of Dolours Catholic Primary School, and St Mary of the Angels Catholic Primary School.
