St Jude and St Paul’s parents protesting in Westminster last year, joined by Islington North Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn

A PROFIT-MAKING deal to sell off a former church primary to a private school has been branded a “betrayal” by parents who say they were promised it would be used for community good.

St Jude and St Paul’s, in Kingsbury Road, has been sitting empty since last summer after Islington Council decided to shut the school due to a lack of pupils.

Prior to the decision, parents had campaigned for months in an effort to try and get education chiefs to change their minds, and even took the council to court over its “flawed” verdict.

Later, there was a consultation over how the campus could be put to best use, and parents say they were assured it would serve “the wider needs of the community”.

The London Diocesan Board for Schools, which owns the site, had announced that it would leased to an adult special educational needs service, and used this as a justification to evict squatters who occupied the premises earlier this year. But last week, in a shock decision, it was revealed that The Children’s House, an independent school charging £7,644 a term, had bought the site.

In a statement sent to parents, representatives from the parish, wrote: “The London Diocesan Board for Schools (LDBS) announced in March that a special educational needs (SEN) school was intending to lease the school building. Last week we learned that those plans had changed following a successful bid to purchase the site at a significant premium.”

Parents, who were left frantically searching for new schools for their children after the closure of SJSP, have labelled this a “betrayal”.

“What’s infuriating is that they asked the community to engage in a consultation where we all put forward ideas for what the site could be used for”, said parent Andri Andreou.

“The sale to The Children’s House shows that this was always about money, it’s completely dishonest, and you have wasted our time. To find out it’s going to a private school, it just makes it feel like our kids’ education doesn’t matter because we don’t have the money.”

Holly Stuart, whose son did not attend school for months after the closure of SJSP, said that the news was “heartbreaking”.

The Children’s House, an independent school charging £7,644 a term, has bought the school site in Kingsbury Road following the primary’s closure last summer

“It’s a reminder that our family is just too poor for our kids to matter”, she said. “I fought hard in the court case to try and save SJSP as I knew the hard future ahead many families like mine would face and I always wondered why the LDBS never really supported us, and now I think it is because they knew all along if SJSP closed they would sell to the private school”.

Another parent, Rebecca Neale, added: “Many of the families whose children were displaced by the closure would never be able to access education there, regardless of bursary provision. It is painful to know that a school built through generations of commitment, fundraising, volunteering and community support will now serve a very different population from the one it was originally established to support.”

Amongst campaigners against the school closure was Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn, who told the Tribune: “I remain sad and disappointed that the school was closed in the first place, and I share the parents’ outrage that the site has now been sold off to private education – something we all predic­ted when we campaigned against its closure.”

The Children’s House refused to answer questions on whether “poor families” were being sidelined, or say how much they had purchased the site for. They pointed to their bursary policy, which they claim offers some families a 100 per cent discount on fees, although they would not say how many are awarded on an annual basis.

Headteacher Ellie Grunewald said: “This [the move] comes at a time of strong perfor­mance for the school, following a positive school inspection, rising pupil numbers, and excellent Year 6 results. We’re thrilled to be embarking on this exciting new phase for The Children’s House School.”

LDBS have denied claims that the future of the school building was decided prior to closure, but said they “understand the frustration and anger that is felt”. They said that discussions had taken place with charities and state-funded schools, and that the charity supporting young people and adults with additional needs is moving to a different LDBS-owned former school site.

Penny Roberts, diocesan director of education for LDBS, said: “It is important to stress that Children’s House School is in no way a replacement for St Jude and St Paul’s School. In fact, the local authority is still looking to further reduce the overall number of state-funded school places in the borough.”

She added: “Our responsibility is one of stewardship. We wholly accept that things have happened quickly and this may fuel some speculation and distrust. As the recent illegal occupiers of the building highlighted, there were significant risks, and costs, in leaving the building empty. That is why, when there was a clear and viable option, we acted quickly and, as is required of us, sought to get the best possible sale price to invest the proceeds to support education across Church of England schools in the Diocese.”

Cllr Sheila Chapman, the Town Hall’s children’s chief, said: “The council recognises the situation is frustrating for many in the local community. After the school closure, the decision for the sale of the building and its onward use was made by the London Diocesan Board for Schools (LDBS).

“When the decision was taken to close St Jude and St Paul’s Church of England School, we met our statutory duty and remained focused on ensuring there are enough high-quality, inclusive, state-funded primary school places available for local children.”