Parents and pupils at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Primary School in Boadicea Street

TWO primary schools with almost 200 years of ­history in the borough between them were given the devastating news this week that they have both been earmarked for closure by Islington education chiefs.

School children, parents and staff at both Montem Primary School in Hornsey Road, Finsbury Park, and Blessed Sacrament Catholic Primary School in Boadicea Street off Caledonian Road, have been left reeling after they were told in meetings that they had been picked for the chop after falling rolls at both left them “unsustainable”, according to Islington, which has launched two separate consultations.

At a packed meeting on Wednesday evening, parents at Montem expressed anger at the shock announcement that it would “merge” with Duncombe Primary School in Finsbury Park at the start of the 2024 academic year. Staff had learned the news just one day earlier.

“I’m furious,” said parent-governor Fatma Govani, who praised the school for its recent “good” Ofsted and said parents were planning to fight what they viewed as a closure, despite Islington insisting it is not.

“It’s a misjustice. We got the best SATS results we’ve ever had – in the top 25 per cent in the country. We smashed Ofsted. This is the hub of the community,” said parent Savitrie ­Ramlagan, who called for Islington to look ­elsewhere.

Blessed Sacrament leaders have told families they are seeking academisation.

Montem has a high number of pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and a working lift that was just renovated, along with a larger campus compared to Duncombe.

It has a sensory room, a play room and an art room for children with SEN.

Staff at both Montem and Duncombe are expected to be told in April whether they will need to reapply for their roles, which could leave some in an uncertain position. It is unclear what the future holds for those at Blessed Sacrament.

“I would describe the school in one word: fantastic,” said Leyla Ekici, whose five-year-old attends Montem.

“We’re happy with the way the school is, and we want a good reason why they’re doing this,” she added.

Parents and staff were struggling with the change in direction just months after it was all but decided pupils at nearby Pooles Park Primary School would join Montem in September, when a poor Ofsted rating prompted Islington to announce it would be the school in Finsbury Park that would be closing.

Parents and pupils at Montem Primary School in Hornsey Road, Finsbury Park

But those plans had to be ripped up in June when Pooles Park was given a last-minute reprieve by the Department for Education following its approval of an academy sponsor. At the time, Islington warned that this would mean another “good” school would be left exposed to the risk of closing.

Islington is struggling with falling rolls at many of its schools and deficits at more than 10 – a trend replicated across inner city areas.

Falling birth rates and families moving away to find larger homes at more affordable prices have been blamed in part for a smaller pool of children.

Fewer pupils means schools are forced to merge year groups and axe the curriculum as they receive funding per pupil, but with some classes falling as low as Blessed Sacrament’s reception class – which has just six children – Islington argues it has no choice but to act. Nevertheless, parents are devastated.

“It’s more than a school, it’s a family,” said Miriam I, whose daughter Emmanuella, 9, “cried her eyes out” when she heard the news. “You can’t disintegrate a family,” she added.

Celebrated teaching assistants Maria Bird and Patricia Murphy have both been at the school for decades, while school secretary Jackie Payne was described by parents as “an institution”.

Andreia Martins has a daughter in Year 5 and an eight-month-old she hoped would attend the school. She called on Islington to recognise it was the only Catholic school in the area and urged it to keep it open.

“It’s a good school – my older one was here. He’s now in Year 11 and he has done brilliantly. I wanted to keep this school in the family,” she said.

In 2018 the school had 207 pupils. Today, it has just 79, while both 137-year-old Montem and 157-year-old Duncombe have reception classes that are only half full.

Headteacher Alex Fernandez-Madden said Blessed Sacrament School was consulting with the community over plans to be sponsored by the Cardinal Hume Academies Trust (CHAT). She said: “I am concerned about the unnecessary anxiety caused by the ongoing consultation for parents and pupils. I am telling pupils and parents that we are staying open, and how I welcome the positive impact of aligning ourselves with the CHAT.”

The council consultation states: “Blessed Sacrament has the lowest number of pupils in Islington. From Reception to Year 6 the school has 210 places but only 76 pupils, meaning 64 per cent of places aren’t filled.”

The other consultation said: “Duncombe and Montem schools both have high levels of spare school places, with pupil numbers set to reduce further. As a result, both schools are expected to experience budget deficits in the future. If we do not take action, this could lead to a decline in the quality of education for pupils at both schools.”