Best Practice

Overcoming the challenges of leading a small primary school

Senior leadership Leadership/school profiles School finance School improvement
Small primary schools face very specific challenges, not least when it comes to budgets and CPD. Drawing on the experiences of one inner city, 96-pupil school, Laura McPhee looks at this complex leadership challenge
Small problems: As many as 47% of small school leaders are concerned about the prospect of school closure within five years - St George’s Hanover Square CE Primary School

Small schools are central to our communities, cherished for their ability to provide personalised support and strong relationships.

There are around 4,000 schools in England with fewer than 150 pupils (Kueh, 2024) and as local authorities nationally continue to be affected by falling pupil rolls, such settings are no longer limited to rural areas.

In addition to having a strong sense of community, small schools play an increasingly important role as community hubs. This is in part due to the decline of public services which has led to an increase in leaders providing place-based support for vulnerable pupils and families (IFG, 2025).

Register now, read forever

Thank you for visiting Headteacher Update and reading some of our content for professionals in primary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.

What's included:

  • Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcasts

  • New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here