A high achieving school on the ‘deadliest estate in Britain’ has raised concerns about safety, cost and gang affiliation in response to a proposal by Lambeth council to close the site and merge it with another centre.
St John the Divine Primary, Camberwell, is set to be merged with Christ Church Primary in Brixton and is one of many schools facing extinction as the council tries to avoid a 17-million-pound debt crisis and tackle dropping school admission figures.
The Chair of Finance Committee at St John the Divine responded to the Statutory Notice by the council with a letter detailing the £500k further cost for Lambeth to merge the 150-year-old site.
Catherine Warland, headteacher, raised concerns that children and families, potentially with gang affiliations, will be forced to cross county lines and be at risk of a “postcode battle”.
She added: “Even those without any affiliation know that doing so could be detrimental to how they are treated in the community.”
To increase mobility opportunities for children on the Brandon Estate, previously labelled ‘the deadliest estate in Britain’, the primary school works with the parish church to create a sense of belonging for children, for example through a community choir.
Nazmin Rahman, who has a four-year-old son in reception at St John the Divine, said: “For residents in the area it is a cornerstone of a safe community, it does so much good and it is being stripped away from them.
“It is going to send a reminder to the kids and their parents living on the estate, that you don’t deserve good schools, your voice doesn’t matter.
“The thing that is the most horrifying is that it is a good school, I just know so instinctively that this would not happen if we were in South Kensington.”
Rahman expressed her worry about the far reaching social impact of taking a good school that is on the Brandon Estate away, pointing out that “we all know school changes lives”.
She said: “The area is so volatile, they are literally babies that are being swept up in an incredibly violent world because of extreme poverty.”
The school’s academic results include the year six group placing in the top 5% in the country for reading last year, with Key Stage 2 results placing in the top 30% of the borough.
However, the number of pupils starting school across the borough has dropped by 30 percent since 2013 because of the cost-of-living crisis and families moving out of the area.
Warland said: “For black African children in particular, our outcomes are exceptional, outperforming both the national and Lambeth KS1 averages.
“But it’s not just education, the community will be affected, I even walk children home from school sometimes.”
Teachers believe these results will not necessarily transfer if the two schools are amalgamated.
Peter Truesdale, Chair of Governors, addressed the community at a parish church service and called the decision to close the school socially unjust and a disgrace.
The school believes it can continue until at least 2026-27 with both an in year and cumulative surplus, at no cost to Lambeth council.
Truesdale added: “Lambeth claim to be improving education. They need to. They have shown they can’t add up, subtract or multiply.”
The events organised by the PTA, such as the summer fair, provide annual highlights for many children, with OFSTED commenting that staff contribute to pupils feeling safe.
Rahman said: “There is such a deep care in local schools, these kids are thriving, they are above national averages, the closure makes no sense.
“They are going to physically close down the school so the history, the community, the school itself essentially disappears.”
Ben Kind, the council’s cabinet member for children and families, released a full statement in response to criticism.
It said: “I understand how this is an incredibly difficult situation for all involved. It is not a process either Lambeth Council or anyone in our school community want to be undertaking.
“However, Lambeth Council has a responsibility to act now, to prevent the situation getting worse and to protect the future of Lambeth’s schools.
“We’re building on the action we have taken over several years and must act now to stop debts mounting and school’s futures being put in jeopardy.”
Lambeth council’s consultation on primary school changes runs until 7 October.
To respond to the consultation: https://haveyoursay.lambeth.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/option-to-amalgamate-merge-christ-church-sw9-and-st-john-the-divine-primary-schools/surveys/new?phase_id=a93d416c-c3b0-4155-af05-5f2166c89226
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