School site could close from 2025 after pupil numbers fall by 20

Leopold Primary School in Harlesden was split between two sites back in 2015 to deal with a shortage of school places – the main facility in Hawkshead Road and the Gwenneth Rickus Building in Brentfield Road.

Brent Council has now proposed closing the Brentfield Road site, cutting the number of pupils from 120 to 60 after demand plummeted.

A consultation process is taking place to gather views on the plan. If approved, the site could close from September 2025.

Demand for places has reduced since its peak in 2017 and is continuing to fall, according to the council.

A document released by the council blames a decline in birth rates, the rising cost of living, Brexit, and the Covid pandemic for the fall in demand. It states reducing the school’s capacity is essential to “ensure the long-term sustainability of primary schools”.

Leopold Primary School, Hawksmead Road Site. The plan will see the number of pupils at Leopold Primary School cut from 120 to 60. Image Credit: Google Maps. Permission to use with all LDRS partners

A school’s budget is linked to pupil numbers and a drop in admissions means a reduction in government funding.

Brent Council said this can “create financial pressure on schools and impact on the quality of education”. The local authority has been using spare capacity for other purposes, such as SEND facilities, but claims this has “not proved sufficient” to tackle the challenge of reduced funding.

Under the plans, no new children will start in the reception of the Gwenneth Rickus Building site, with the school reverting to one site. The council has warned that plans “could mean staff redundancies”.

Leopard Primary School is one of 12 schools in an area covering Stonebridge, Roundwood, and Harlesden and Kensal Green. There are currently 5,985 places available in these schools, however, the number of pupils enrolled over the past six years has dropped from 5,249 in 2017 to just 4,120 in 2023.

Brent Council has assured parents that there are “sufficient spare places” in other schools to meet the future demand. Residents have now been asked for their views on two options proposed by the local authority.

Option 1 involves a “phased closure”, which would mean no Reception classes on the site from 2024 and children in other year groups at the Brentfield Road either remaining on site or moving to the Hawkshead Road site. This would see Gwenneth Rickus staying open in some capacity until 2028.

Option 2 would mean the full closure of the site at a specific date, which the council suggests will be “more disruptive for families”. Under this option, all children being taught at the site would have to either move to the Hawksmead site or an alternative school. 

Residents have until Wednesday December 16 to give their views.