dozens colleges from primary school There is a risk of closure in London due to decrease in the number of students In recent years. The problem caused by many families fleeing Turkey town center because they are looking for quieter areas to live in or because they cannot face the constant rise in rent and mortgage prices. The situation is getting serious problems funding for public schools funded by the number of students enrolled.
The shortage of students is due to the fact that families are looking for quieter or cheaper places in the face of the continuous increase in rents and mortgages.
One of them is primary school. Randal Cremerin the Hackney area, where the sheer size of their facilities conflicts with the few students using them at breaks. This is one of the centers that is projected to close its doors in September 2024 due to the sharp drop in student numbers. in your case the number halved in just ten years: 480 students with whom was the school 2013 gone today 240.
transportation accident
Head of the Centre, Jo Rileyassumes that it will have to close its doors and warns of the impact this will have on students and their families. “This school has been a part of society. for 150 years. We know families well, parents can come and talk to me if anything concerns them. it will be difficult for them have this support in the future”, he explains in his office, surrounded by posters and educational materials. Riley adds that the closure of the school will mean a new problem for families in terms of transportation. “Our families they are not rich and it will be difficult for them to manage the price of the bus and the time it takes to get the kids to a further school,” he assures.
Loss of income
HE hackney districtis one of the most affected by student losses in east London. The district board has ensured that there are 634 vacancies this year, representing 20% of the total, while the equivalent of 20 classrooms has been lost in the last ten years. In economic terms, this means an approximate loss. 30 million pounds per year (approx. 35 million Euros) 58 schools in the region. “Most of our spending has remained the same. This is a big old building, energy costs do not end And the situation got worse with the rise in inflation,” Riley complains.
To mitigate losses, the district board made the following recommendation: closure of two schools and the merging of the four centers into two. It’s inevitable, according to district councilor Anntoinette Bramble. “Over time, schools affected by the epidemic loss of income they will almost inevitably see performance and standards drop. The management of school places and school places is the legal obligation of the Municipal Council. guarantee offered by schools quality child seats”, he assured in a statement made at the end of March. primary school Paving stoneAnother of the affected centers strongly opposed this decision and mobilized to avoid it.
housing prices
The district board attributes student loss to factors beyond its control. house price increase throughout the city, particularly in East London, an area heavily affected by gentrification, and decrease in social housing construction. According to the professor, this has forced many low-income families to move to other less expensive areas. paul wattsUrban studies specialist at Birbeck University.
“If families cannot buy property, cannot access social housing, and cannot pay rent in the private sector, they have to. find more affordable spaces”says the professor, author of ‘Urban regeneration and its problems: Housing, space and inequality in London’ (‘Estate Regeneration and its Discontents: Housing, Place and Inequality in London’). “London is a increasingly hostile territory For low-income people,” Watt says, citing market liberalization in recent years as one of the main reasons.
Birth rate decline and epidemic
Other factors that add to the housing problem, for example birth drop -Together 17% drop Between 2012 and 2021 in London-; advent Pandemic and its implications for labor flexibility and remote working; and also he BrexitIt has caused many families to return to their hometowns. A “Perfect storm” According to educator Riley, who adds that transferring students to private centers also hits public education.
Student loss in London schools already neighborhood social structureaccording to sociologist David Maddencity studies professor London School of Economics. “Closing key community institutions and social infrastructure such as schools or community centers is also costly. Gradually, life is becoming less livable, especially for households with fewer resources, who cannot afford to replace public social services and infrastructures with private ones,” explains the professor. “This social pain is unnecessary and it is unevenly distributed,” he says.