Small schools in England have halved since 1980

New House of Commons research has claimed that the number of small schools in England has halved in recent decades, with those in rural and village settings twice as likely to have shut their doors to pupils as those in urban areas.

Children in the UK are increasingly being taught in ‘super-jumbo’ institutions in towns and cities, many teaching in excess of 800 pupils, leaving villages to mourn the loss of a vital community asset. Since 2010, 61 per cent of primary schools that have closed were in rural areas. Almost 150 rural primary schools have closed their doors in the last two decades alone, leaving pupils having to travel longer distances for their education.

The data says there were almost 11,500 small primary schools in England with 200 or fewer pupils in 1980, but that number dropped to fewer than 5,500 in 2018. The number of primary schools with more than 600 pupils increased from approximately 50 to 780 in the same period, and there are now more than 100 primaries with more than 800 pupils.

The largest proportional declines in the number of small schools were in Wales, the north-west, and Yorkshire and the Humber, while the smallest declines have been in the the south-west, east Midlands and London.

Neil O’Brien, the MP who authored the report, said: “With no discussion or public debate, a dramatic transformation has come over our schools in recent decades. Small schools and village schools have been in dramatic decline, and more and more small children are attending really huge schools.

“Many people will feel uneasy about these trends towards large-scale institutions for very young children, because they regard small schools as a more human scale for the very young. Others will be concerned about the effect on community life or on commuting times and congestion.

“Village schools are often much-loved institutions, at the heart of their community. Places where the community gathers for special occasions, where people meet new friends, and community life gets organised. A village loses a lot when it loses its school.”