A PRIMARY school in Montpelier that opened just 13 years ago looks set to close this summer.
The academy chain E-ACT, which took over running The Dolphin School in Bath Buildings last September, says the primary has been hit by falling numbers of children in the area.
It says the school, which had 340 pupils four years ago, now has 158 on roll and is “significantly undersubscribed”. Numbers are expected to drop again in September and predicted to continue to decline year-on-year.
“Running a school at such low numbers is financially unsustainable,” a spokesman told the Voice.
E-ACT has told parents it plans to merge The Dolphin with E-ACT Fairlawn School, which is housed in the Victorian former Fairfield Grammar School and currently has 227 pupils.
All children at The Dolphin and those who applied for reception class places for 2025, will be given places at Fairlawn, less than a mile away, and all staff will be offered jobs elsewhere in E-ACT.
Fairlawn is a two-form entry school, with a maximum 420 places, and was rated good at its last Ofsted inspection, while The Dolphin was judged to require improvement.
The proposal is expected to be put to the Department for Education’s South West Advisory Board this month. If approved, E-ACT The Dolphin School would shut in the summer.
The academy chain, which runs 14 schools in Bristol, carried out its consultation in partnership with the city council, which is trying to manage the drop in the birth rate following a surge in demand nearly two decades ago. Births peaked at 6,800 in 2012 and have steadily fallen, reaching 4,771 in 2023.
Ironically, both Fairlawn and The Dolphin opened in response to that increase in demand. The council has already had to shut St Barnabas Primary in Montpelier in 2023 after pupil numbers in central Bristol fell.
The Dolphin School opened in 2012 and moved into its purpose-built premises in 2017.
Councillor Christine Townsend, chair of the city council’s Children and Young People Committee, said: “ It’s sad to hear when any school is having to consider the possibility of closing, and we recognise that this must be a difficult time for staff, pupils, families and the local community.
“Bristol schools are experiencing the impact of a 30 per cent fall in the city’s birth rate from 2012 to 2023, which is why we’re seeing a drop in demand and therefore a surplus of primary school places.
“Ensuring our city has a sustainable number of school places is an ongoing challenge. We’re working with all schools across Bristol to identify where, in some of our larger schools, we can reduce the number of school places on offer by decreasing the reception intake in upcoming years, while still ensuring there are enough school places available for all areas of our city and helping our smaller schools to remain financially sustainable. As birth figures are telling us we should expect to see a decline in pupil numbers, we will continue to review the number of available places each year.
“We want our schools to remain open as far as possible – they’re important assets for our local communities and will provide the flexibility to accommodate increasing numbers of children if demand for places rises again in the future. Repurposing educational settings to meet the known needs of children with SEND is the current priority.”
The E-ACT spokesman said the intention was to keep The Dolphin building, which opened in 2017, for educational purposes.
“Considerations for its future use include repurposing the site as the sixth form for E-ACT Montpelier Academy. This will be done in full consultation with the DfE, Bristol City Council and other stakeholders to ensure the best outcome for the community,” he said.