CABINET councillors have voted in favour of a merger of two schools, in Finsbury Park.

The result at a meeting last Thursday came as no surprise – and the move had been recommended by council officers.

Effectively, it means the closure of Montem Primary School after 138 years open, due to the legal nature of merging two schools. The Hornsey Road school will close at the end of the academic year.

In February, parents staged a protest outside the Town Hall, urging councillors to reconsider.

The closure comes as a falling birth rate in the borough has left dozens of schools under-subscribed, while the impact of the cost of housing has forced families to seek larger homes elsewhere.

A council report said: “Islington, like several boroughs across London, is impacted significantly by falling rolls which is exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis and Brexit which has contributed to an unsustainable school estate.”

It warned that just under half its schools are expected to be in the red by the end of next year, with a total deficit of just under £13million.

All pupils at Montem have been offered a place at Duncombe Primary School, in nearby Sussex Way off Hornsey Road.