Supporting the growing number of small primary schools is essential if we are to safeguard our communities. Anne Peck discusses what these schools need to survive as they face the challenge of dwindling rolls and tight finances, while Tara McGovern, headteacher of Therfield First School, tells us more about what it is like to lead a small school
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Supporting our small primary schools by Anne Peck

A steady decline in the UK birth rate over the past 10 years coupled with families moving away from areas where it is no longer affordable to live has left hundreds of primary schools having to adapt to falling numbers of children.

An analysis from the Education Policy Institute predicts that the number of pupils at state-funded schools will decrease from a peak of 7.57 million in 2022/23 to 7.14 million in 2028/29 – a fall of 436,000 (Cruikshanks, 2024; Headteacher Update, 2024). Further falls of as much as 944,000 are predicted by 2032.

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