Richmond Council proposing to close an exceptional, close-knit primary school

[SerenityRam]

Hi everyone, first post on here!

Hoping for some advice and/or support for my son's state school as it faces potential closure in Richmond. Details below:

Many families have chosen Kew Riverside Primary over dozens of other schools they researched and visited across London — drawn to its rare, nurturing, village-school atmosphere in a big city, where every child is genuinely known and valued.

Now Richmond Council proposes closing it in September 2027, despite its recent Ofsted inspection rating it Strong in Early Years, Inclusion, and Personal Development and Wellbeing, alongside excellent academic outcomes. Its exceptional SEND/EHCP support has been life-changing for children who struggled through multiple previous schools before finally finding somewhere they could truly thrive.

The council cites 87 pupils against a current operating capacity of 120 as part of a mixed-year model. It also projects a deficit exceeding £400,000 by 2028/29. It is currently not in deficit.

Families recognise the financial challenges but question whether viable alternatives have been sufficiently explored. Announcing potential closure just weeks into the school year also risks discouraging new applications, creating the very decline in enrolment being used to justify closure.

Our parent-led campaign is asking for a fair opportunity to rebuild pupil numbers and pursue sustainable alternatives.

If you’re part of the Richmond community — whether you live, work or study here — we’d love your support! You can explore our campaign website, read heartfelt parent letters, watch parent stories on our YouTube channel, and support our forthcoming council petition once it’s live.

And if you’re considering primary schools for your child, we’d especially encourage you to visit one of Kew Riverside’s upcoming Open Days and experience this wonderful community for yourself!

Campaign Website

Open Day registration form

YouTube link

Council consultation closes 16 October.

It needs to wash its face financially. If it isn't doing so, it needs to cut staff- at which point to may lose your nurturing, inclusive feel anyway. At the point of Ofsted the school had 92/210 places filled and was running 4 classes- so around 13 per year group? To be financially viable, they'd probably need to drop to 3 classes (R/1/2, 2/3/4 and 4/5/6) with classes of 30. There are lots of village schools of this sort of size and often the Head has to teach, or be shared with another school, there isn't usually a deputy and the SENCo might be shared across a group.

I don’t think any council wants to close primary schools but if there’s not enough children enrolled they don’t have any choice as far as I can see. 87 children is simply not enough if the target roll is 120. Lots of schools have closed near me due to falling numbers of children and it’s very upsetting but I don’t see what can be done as it’s not viable to continue without sufficient numbers.

There's reduced demand for school places in the area because fewer families can afford to live there and birth rates are dropping. Some schools will need to close over the next few years. Is there another school nearby of similar size that is similarly undersubscribed? If the LA needs to reduce capacity by 100ish places per year then obviously they will look at all the schools of that size and pick the one that is most appropriate to close taking into account the level of underused places and the projected operating deficit. Every school is going to have some families that love it and value it. From the council's point of view, there is nothing to be gained by hearing your petitions and objections and therefore choosing a different school to close, only to have just as vehement objections coming from the community of that other school.

It's not sustainable to keep an undersibsceibed school going when there's capacity in other nearby schools. Expecting the taxpayer to keep funding an inefficient undersubscribed school that is in this situation because so few families can afford to live in the area triggers my "entitlement and privilege" alarm somewhat.

What financial alternatives do you think it hasn't explored?

The school might have some reserves left right now, but if they're projecting a £400k deficit within a couple of years, then that would suggest that they're running some pretty massive in-year deficits at present. That isn't sustainable, so what would you like them to do?

A parent-led campaign asking them to rebuild numbers and consider alternatives sounds like a total waste of time. The crisis is imminent and there isn't time for that.

If the parents can raise a few hundred thousand pounds on an annual basis to plug the shortfall, then you might have options. Otherwise, you're wasting your time.

Primary schools are closing all over because there aren’t enough children for them.

Yes it’s lovely your kids are getting tiny class sizes, and I’m sure that is beneficial for the Sen kids, but (speaking from bitter experience here) even Sen kids don’t get that in the state system without an EHCP, a lengthy legal and tribunal process, and funding agreed for a specialist school or resource base. It’s just not financially sustainable for the majority to get that.

Richmond is a wealthy area: are the parents able to start hefty contributions to the school to keep it viable? An deficit of £400k from only 90 pupils would mean about £5k per family which is less than the kind of private schools that would give you those class sizes.

The capacity is for 210 rather than 120? So the numbers are very low.
It’s sad that pupils will have to move, but it doesn’t seem as others have said, that this is really financially viable.

If it was a popular school, it would be full. The fact it isnt, snd hasca wide catchment, shows its the school that is struggling.

You’ve got a typo in your OP, the capacity is 210, not 120. 87 students sounds really low, even taking into account falling birth rates - why is it so empty?

When LAs look at school numbers they also take into account birth rates and future numbers. So it looks like there are falling births in Richmond, which means fewer children to fill the current number of places.
As has already been said, if this school were as great as the OP is claiming, then it would be over subscribed.

Gosh, I remember when that school was built and opened up as a new school! How times change…

I am sorry but I am not sure that it seems viable in its present form. You would very likely lose the HT and any other non teaching positions. Plus mixed-year teaching is acknowledged to be pretty challenging for teachers, making it harder to recruit.

The best you could hope for is to become part of a federation with another school. Or, lobby to preserve the building so that it could be reopened in future.

It's very sad but it looks like a sinking ship. @SerenityRam do you think other schools should be missing out on funding in order to keep this little school afloat? The money has to come from somewhere.

The average reading score is below the national average. That's very poor for a school in the borough of Richmond. It's KS2 results are likely a contributing factor as to why parents are not selecting it as a preference.

Why is it so undersubscribed? Is it results or something else?

The problem with keeping this school open with such a defect means there is less money for the council to spend on other things, like schools that actually have a lot of students in them. It’s nice to have a small school with small classes but it is rarely viable in state.

Is it a send school? or a primary school with good send provision?

If the latter then conversion to a send school is possibly an option. Wandsworth council are doing that to reduce the spend on private sector send school places.
Sadly we will see more schools closing, e.g. Oasis on Putney common has closed due to a lack of pupils.
The demographics will hit secondary school in another 5 years. I doubt the new secondary proposed in Mortlake is viable.

It’s a mainstream primary but with a good reputation locally for send pupils who haven’t coped elsewhere. Mostly it’s good for send pupils because of the very small classes.

Obviously when a school gets this reputation, a lot of parents will avoid it. I have two autistic kids in mainstream - they definitely take up more of the teacher’s time and attention than average, I understand why other parents wouldn’t choose a school with a high proportion of kids needing that kind of attention.

@SerenityRam I honestly think you’d be better off campaigning for a shift to some kind of Sen provision rather than outright closure. There’s a desperate shortage of send places. So a school that coped well with kids who are academically right for mainstream, but need extra support/attention would be very suitable to switch over to send provision.

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Kew Riverside’s falling pupil numbers can be understood in a wider context. Brexit, COVID and wider demographic changes have affected families and pupil numbers across the country, including families moving away from the area. Meanwhile, the school was required to transition to a mixed-year model (thus the switch from 210 > 120 capacity); it took few years for the school to prove it can still continue to produce successful academic results. Council’s own consultation leaflet confirmed that KRPS successfully reorganised classes and staffing, reducing costs while maintaining high standards.

For the last 3 consecutive years the school has demonstrated that this model doesn’t just work, but has benefited students and the community in ways families may have not even anticipated. The July 2026 Ofsted inspection has also provided important independent reassurance about the quality of education, inclusion and the school community, helping give prospective parents confidence when choosing the school.

So, just as the school is beginning to demonstrate the potential of this model, why close it? Other schools facing similar pressures are looking into adopting such mixed-year classes too now and have even started to look to Kew Riverside in fact as a model to learn from.

It’s worth clarifying the projected £400k deficit is a forecast, not a fixed amount. Parents are actively working with the school on a commercially viable alternative, reviewing the assumptions behind the projections and developing additional revenue streams. Parents proposing solutions, not simply complaining about closure.

There is also an important question for taxpayers: closing the school does not automatically eliminate its PFI contract costs. The Council’s audited accounts confirm that the 30-year contract covers six primary schools and that voluntary termination requires compensation for borrowing costs and relevant redundancy costs. The contract is due to expire in 2032. The Council needs to demonstrate the actual net savings from closure, accounting for costs that would continue and any termination or other associated costs, rather than assuming closure is automatically the cheaper option.

Finally, marketing and fundraising efforts have been minimal compared to other state primary schools in the area (ie nearby King’s School is extremely well-known) — both of which the whole community is now ramping up on so we expect pupil numbers to INCREASE in coming years, especially after: Strong Ofsted results in July 2026 inspection, because most surrounding schools are at capacity, and there has been an influx of nurseries open up in the the area so there is a projected growth in demand.

This is not about ignoring the financial challenges. It is about recognising the progress already made, giving the school a fair opportunity to attract families and implement a viable commercial plan. The plan isn’t simply to keep a school open at taxpayers expense on a projected, continual deficit. Parents are asking whether closure is really the right solution, given the school’s successes, positive outcomes, and invaluable impact on the community — when an alternative may be possible.

A few more points:

• KR has been above national average in reading for the past 3 consecutive years (since operational changes have taken place); this is taking into consideration that the school even included results of pupils who joined just in the last year or two, so they weren’t there for part of the Key Stage 2 preparation
• DEMOGRAPHICS: over 1/3 of pupils are eligible for free school meals; total of 41.3% of pupils with free school meal eligibility at any point within the previous six years, above the national average (26.3%)
• the school’s catchment includes both private housing and local authority housing**
• some of the pupils HAVE attended other local schools previously and in multiple cases they have unfortunately fallen through the cracks at those other state-schools due to lack of the type of SEND/EHCP support those pupils needed; whereas at KR they have been able to not only learn alongside their peers but for the first time been able to make huge leaps in their progress and growth - both academically and personally / socially

See attached for recent years’ academic results that were being questioned:)

That’s quite shocking.

Many families might have chosen it but not enough families and it seems like the sensible option to close it.

Without sounding glib, why do other local families not agree it’s good and make a choice to send their children there? And would the things current parents admire still hold true if it was operating at capacity?

Location doesn't help, that was a similar issue with Oasis in Putney. Large green area and the river limit access from 2 sides. Nearby schools in the other directions that are good schools, so the logical catchment area is small.
Plus the south west London private school split.

Average reading score being below that national average doesn’t sound like value for taxpayer money to me. 87/210 enrollment is also shockingly poor value for taxpayer money - not surprised it feels nurturing, it’s at under half capacity. Having said that, is there scope for converting this into a special ed school and accessing funding through other channels than mainstream? If these children are doing well here maybe they can receive continued funding through dedicated channels (perhaps move to smaller premises, reduce teacher/staff numbers, cater to just these 90-ish students?). As it is, any council would be hard pressed justifying these children receiving twice the funding (give or take) that other children in the borough receive without adequately evidenced reasoning.

Other schools facing similar pressures are looking into adopting such mixed-year classes too now and have even started to look to Kew Riverside in fact as a model to learn from.

I love how passionate you are about your school and wish you luck but if your school isn't full despite successfully managing mixed age classes, this isn't going in the right direction. That other schools are looking to go to mixed age classes shows how the number of children in the local area is falling.

Also I would be wary as parents of coming in with a 'let's sort out the finances" attitude. It's quite patronising to the professionals who understand school funding and have been doing it to date.

Honestly, and I know this is defeatist, I would strongly start looking to find places locally you would like your children to attend. Other parents will be doing this and children will start leaving and as you say, the consultation has its own impact on numbers because no one will want to move there.

This is a very short sighted decision because they will need school places once the Brewery development is completed.

Goodness I remember when this school just opened, we lived in Kew. I'm surprised it hasn't done well as at the time there was a shortage of good state options in Kew (aside from Queens School which I think is now Kings School) and no one wanted Darell in those days! Is everyone going to Kings/Holy Trinity/Darell now?

If I'm honest I think some people are put off by the mixed year model thing. I wasn't keen for mine and I know friends of ours said the same.
And the low class sizes. In some ways it's great to have small class sizes but not always, imo there is such a thing as too small. I am surprised though that it hasn't done well. Perhaps the influx from the riverside housing new build didn't materialise. But there seems to always he loads of building going on in Kew when we visit - old Homebase site for example so may intake increase through that?
Also remember that with the VAT lots of families in Kew/Richmond are looking at state options until at least 7+ or 11+ where previously they would have started at 4. So the school should be busier but if results are falling short or they dont have many going to private for secondary or at 7+then that again could be off putting as a lot of Richmond/Kew parents will have that as their longer term goal.