Four North London schools are facing shutdown next autumn as pupil numbers continue to fall, prompting a parent-led campaign to halt the closures. Camden Council on Tuesday (October 20) approved a fresh consultation on “structural change options” for three primary schools and one secondary school in the borough.
The fates of three Catholic schools hang in the balance: St Joseph’s in Covent Garden, St Patrick’s in Kentish Town and La Sainte Union Catholic School (LSU) in Highgate. St Alban’s Church of England in Holborn could also be shut under the proposals. All four are under financial strain from a sustained drop in pupil rolls.
Parent-led campaign against closures
Parent Andreia Moreira, whose daughter attends the all-girls Catholic secondary school LSU, said losing it would rob future generations of choice and would be “horrible” for teachers. “La Sainte Union has been part of our community for generations, providing girls with an education that goes far beyond examination results. The school encourages young women to take pride in themselves, their appearance, their behaviour and their achievements,” she said.
LSU has had the highest number of empty desks across Years 7 to 11 among Camden secondary schools, with nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of school places unfilled in 2025/26. Camden’s overall school vacancies stand at 15.1 per cent. Over the last three years, St Joseph’s has on average had thirteen pupils in Reception.
Reasons for falling pupil numbers
Council reports explain that falling rolls are the result of declining birth rates in the borough, which have dropped by 27 per cent since 2015 - a steeper decline than the London average (20 per cent). The flight of families from the capital has compounded the problem. Under the National Funding Formula, schools receive funding on a per-pupil basis. According to Camden’s schools lead, Cllr Marcus Boyland, an empty primary school desk represents roughly £7,500 in lost government funding. For secondary schools, the figure is £9,700, he added.
Ms Moreira has launched a petition to save the school, calling on Camden and the Diocese of Westminster to “explore every realistic alternative to closure”. The petition has now gathered nearly 2,900 signatures.
Consultation and alternatives
The council’s public consultation, titled “Strong and Sustainable Schools”, includes closure, amalgamation and other options. On Tuesday evening, the council’s cabinet voted to trigger the six-week consultation process, starting in November. Ahead of the vote, parents, teachers and an ex-pupil from the schools came to the town hall to push against full closure. On behalf of St Patrick’s parents, Agnes Panasiuk warned the proposals would deal a “devastating blow” to faith-based education in Camden. She pressed councillors to consider creating a formal school federation instead.
Federations are formal partnerships where two or more schools share a single governing body, but keep their individual names, budgets and identities. This option would “slash management costs and keep classroom doors open on both sides,” Ms Panasiuk said. However, Jennifer Ofodile, who attended LSU and LaSWAP sixth form until 2010, asked the council to put a formal merger on the table, floating the option of combining her former institution with the nearby William Ellis School.
Unlike federations, mergers permanently combine schools into a single institution with one budget and a unified admissions policy. Ms Ofodile said this was more “realistic” and would put students first because sharing one leadership and back-office costs would not address the scale of empty places or tackle LSU’s £1.2m deficit, which is forecast to swell to £6.5 million by 2029. “Families would still be offered the same choice that fewer of them are taking up. It treats the symptoms, not the cause,” she said.
Ms Moreira was sceptical. “I’m all for merging the staff, the financial team, the accounts team with another school. But I want it to remain single-sex,” she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). “La Sainte Union stands out for its diversity, discipline, and respect. If it becomes mixed it loses all of that. Girls and boys are completely different,” she said.
Council response and next steps
Cllr Boyland, Cabinet Member for Best Start for Children and Families, said on Tuesday the council was not deciding on any closures that evening. “It’s not a fait accompli at all, it’s the beginning of a genuine conversation,” he said. “If we can avoid closure, we will do so.” The cabinet member said he welcomed the “shared structural solutions such as federations or partnerships” put forward by the parents and school staff at the meeting. He added that he did not want to “pre-empt” the consultation by naming specific schools for LSU to merge with.
The consultation will start on Monday, November 2, and run until Monday, 14 December. Should the council choose to close the schools after the consultation has concluded, there will be a four-week statutory representation period held after the February 2027 half term. During this period, schools, parents and carers, and wider stakeholders can again comment on the proposal.
