Hackney Council will meet on Monday to decide whether to close or merge six more primary schools despite four already shutting their doors permanently last summer.With four primary schools already forced to shut their doors permanently, Hackney faces becoming a ‘ghost area’ for education.
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00:00Hackney Council will meet on Monday to decide whether to close or merge six more primary schools,
00:06despite four already shutting their doors permanently last summer.
00:10The Council has been recommended to close St Mary's Church of England Primary School,
00:14St Dominic's Catholic Primary School, as well as shutting Old Hill Community School
00:19and merging it with Harrington Hill Primary School.
00:22Hackney has also been recommended to close Sir Thomas Abney Primary School
00:26and merge it with nearby Homley Primary School.
00:29The Council has explained that the possible closures are due to an ongoing decline
00:34in the number of school-aged children across London.
00:37Hackney faces becoming a ghost area for education,
00:41as communities are destroyed by the number of families leaving the capital
00:45due to the cost of living crisis and housing prices.
00:49Staff at St Dominic's Catholic Primary School are now threatening to strike in February
00:54as they fight to save their jobs.
00:57Parents have also described how the decision to close and merge the schools
01:01has been heartbreaking and stressful.
01:04Hackney Council has said it cannot afford to financially support schools that are not sustainable
01:10and said it has to continue to consider difficult decisions
01:14to make sure all our schools are fit for the future
01:17and to protect the high-quality education that Hackney is known for.
01:22A final decision is expected to be made by the Council's Cabinet in April
01:27and the changes will take effect at the end of August.