Trust proposes school merger as pupil numbers fall

An academy trust has proposed merging two schools into one so that it can cope with the "ongoing fall in pupil numbers".

Coastal Learning Partnership (CLP) academy trust runs 20 primary schools across Dorset and has suggested merging St. George's and St. Mark's CE Primary Schools in Swanage.

In a letter to parents, the CEO for the trust, Paul Howieson, said the plans were necessary as falling pupil numbers meant that the schools receive less funding from government, making them more challenging to run.

He added that a public consultation on the plans is being held until 10 July.

Howieson said the declining pupil numbers is a national issue that was now being felt in many schools within Dorset Council area.

"When they have fewer pupils, schools often have to organise learning differently such as by mixing different year groups together," he said.

Adding that in Swanage they have "an opportunity to protect the quality of education that our primary schools can provide".

Under the proposals St. George's and St. Mark's CE Primary Schools would become a single primary school and pre-school on the existing St Mark's site, which would be open from September 2027.

The trust added that there would be plenty of space for every child from both schools to be admitted from the outset, and for future expansion if required.

St George's school would close and return to its owner the Salisbury Diocesan Board of Education.

The two schools, which are just over one mile apart, receive the majority of their core funding from the government and this is based on the number of pupils enrolled.

The trust estimates that if it takes no action then over 10 years it could have a deficit of around £3 million.

Dorset Council has been approached by the BBC.

More than 100 state-funded schools in England have shut down in the past five years, a trend many experts link primarily to falling birth rates.

According to a recent National Audit Office (NAO) report, pupil numbers have dropped by 3% since 2018-19 and are expected to decline by a further 7% over the next five years. Similar trends are being seen across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, where education policy is devolved.