Listening Period for the phased closure of St Peter's Catholic Primary School.

We are deeply proud of everything that St Peter's Catholic Primary School has achieved. For over a century it has been an important part of the community, and Ofsted recently praised the school for its ethos and approaches, as well as the children’s “impeccable behaviour”, and outcome and opportunities continue to strengthen.

Sadly, however, despite the hard work and efforts of so many people, the number of young people coming to school continues to drop as the local birthrate declines. This year our reception class is around a quarter of what it should be – and, given that schools are funded on the number of pupils that we have, this means we are in a very difficult financial position.

That is why, with a very heavy heart, the Secretary of State for Education and Directors of the St Thomas Catholic Academies Trust have made the hugely difficult decision to go through a phased closure of St Peter’s over the next two years.

The intention is that the school will remain open for the current Year 5s until July 2027, with all other year groups relocating to other schools in the summer of 2026.

As such, the Trust and the school is launching a listening period to understand the views of the community to the closure, and to understand how best we can support the community through this challenging time. 

The listening period starts on 1 October and will conclude on Wednesday 6 November at 17:00pm.

Why is this decision being made?

• St Peter's has the capacity to welcome 210 children each day - which is 30 children in each year group.
• In 2022 there were 130 children in the school. It was operating at 62% capacity.
• As the table below shows, by the 2024/25 academic year there were 79 children on roll. This is because larger year groups reached the age to go to secondary school, and the number of children joining our Reception classes are much lower. 
• At the start of this academic year (2025/26), there were 68 children in the school.   
• If our Reception intake remains the same, by September 2027 there will be 57 children at the school. This means the school would be operating at 27% capacity.
• Schools are funded based on the number of children that are in the school. Even with significant changes to manage this lower number of children, the school would be close to £600,000 in deficit by the end of the 2027/28 academic year.

Will pupil numbers continue to drop? 

• The number of children reaching Reception age in Marlow is projected to continue to decline. As the table below highlights, in 2019 there were nearly 270 children to fill the 300 Reception places in the town. This number has fallen to 231 children in 2025, and is due to drop further to 209 children in September 2026. This is a drop of nearly 25% in a relatively short space of time. 
• There is limited building planned in the area to suggest that this trend will change.

• This is also a national trend. Just last month, the Office of National Statistics reported that fertility rates in 2024 fell to a record low with the average fertility rate being 1.41 children per female. This is the lowest rate since records began in 1938. 

Are there other considerations?

The most import question is whether the school can continue to deliver the standards and aspirations that we have for the children and the community in this context.

• The team at St Peter’s school do an astonishing job. The children in the school are happy, safe and receive a high-quality education. However, a school that continues to decline in pupil numbers will become a school where the quality of education becomes difficult to deliver and the social development of children is more limited. The opportunities for the children would also become more and more limited as the proportion of funds we must spend on staffing and the building/operational needs becomes higher. 
• In addition, the school building is in need of significant investment. Recent surveys have shown that over £1.75 million would be needed over the next five years to bring the school to modern standards. With between 50-60 children, and surplus capacity in other local schools, there is a question about whether this is the right use of public funds. 

As part of this process, we have also explored:

• demand for the school and availability of places across the wider area 
• the educational offer at the school 
• transport and admissions implications 
• the impact on the community 
• alternatives to closure  

The school's existing offer is strong. The declining birth rate means that, despite the positive outcomes and inspections, the number of children applying to the school continues to fall. In addition, there are significant surplus places in other schools - particularly in lower year groups. Also, all schools in the area are Good or better. 

One important consideration was the availability of local Catholic education. However, baptism rates in the area are relatively low, and not every child who is baptised attends St Peter's. 

This collectively means that the impact on transport and admissions in the area is also low.

The impact on the community is much harder to quantify. After over a century of service, the school is clearly an important part of a rich community. The building is used by a number of local people for various non-school related activities, but these are not enough to help support the school's financial future.  

We have also looked at possible mergers, amalgamations, reducing the size of the school and a complete restructure. No option was deemed viable and in the long-term best interests of the children who go to the school.

What is this listening period intended to achieve? 

Following extensive conversations with the Department for Education and the Local Authority, the Secretary of State for Education and Directors of the St Thomas Catholic Academies Trust have made the hugely difficult decision to go through a phased closure of St Peter’s over the next two years.

This listening period is to provide an opportunity for the community to share their views on this decision and, crucially, help us shape what the school and Trust can do to support the community between now and the end of the academic year in 2027.

How do I share my views?

To complete a response, please click here