Councillors Share Sadness Over Closure Of Brighton Primary School

Councillors spoke of their sadness as they agreed to a request by governors and the Roman Catholic church to close a primary school in Brighton.

A report to Brighton and Hove City Council’s annual council meeting said that admissions had been falling at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary, in Davey Drive, Hollingdean.

It said that the school had been under-subscribed for the past seven years as the number of children living in Brighton and Hove had decreased.

As a church school, St Joseph’s has a wide catchment area including Hollingdean and Fiveways, Coldean, Moulsecoomb and Bevendean.

The Roman Catholic diocese of Arundel and Brighton held a public consultation from November last year to January and, with the governors, decided to close the school because it was not financially viable.

The council, as the education authority, formally voted to close the school at the meeting

at Hove Town Hall on Thursday (22 May).

Labour councillor Jacob Taylor quoted the diocese saying that fewer children meant that there was not enough money because funding was based on pupil numbers but costs were driven by the number of classes.

At the end of last October, the school had 210 places but only 149 pupils, meaning that 29 per cent of its places were spare.

By February, when parents became aware of the closure plans, the numbers had fallen to just 96 pupils on roll, leaving more than half the places – 51 per cent – as unfilled.

Councillor Taylor said that there were enough places at primary schools across the area to take all the pupils still at St Joseph’s.

The nearest Catholic school, St Mary Magdalen’s, in Spring Street, has places available for this September and 34 across other year groups.

The council said that it was working with the school to help families during the transition.

Councillor Taylor said:

“I want to acknowledge what a sad day this is for everybody involved with the school.

“A school is not just a building where children learn. It’s more than that. It’s a community. It’s a support network. And it’s part of a shared history within an area.

“I know the diocese and the governing body have not taken this decision lightly.

“I want to send my heartfelt thanks to all the staff who have worked at St Joseph’s and have made such a huge contribution to educating and caring for our children in the city.”

Independent councillor Samer Bagaeen raised concerns about the report to the council which said that there was a “reduction in demand for Catholic education”.

Councillor Bagaeen, a foundation governor at Cardinal Newman Catholic School, the largest secondary school in Brighton and Hove, said that, as a governor of 17 years, he understood that the decision was a difficult one.

He said:

“I am glad Councillor Taylor read from the diocese report because it doesn’t refer to a reduction in demand for Catholic education. The officer’s report refers to a reduction in demand for Catholic education. That I have an issue with.

“As a governor of Cardinal Newman, I can confirm that the school is oversubscribed and this is living proof that there is no reduction of demand for Catholic education in Brighton and Hove.

“I challenge both the general premise and the specific context presented in the officer’s report on the demand for Catholic education in general.

“While it is acknowledged that there has been a demographic dip in primary-age children in some areas in Brighton and Hove, the assertion that this has led to a reduction in demand for Catholic education is not universally supported by evidence.”

Four of the six remaining Catholic primary schools in Brighton and Hove were oversubscribed on first-choice applications for September 2025.

Cardinal Newman received 523 first-preference applications for its 360 year 7 places in September.

Green councillor Chloë Goldsmith said that it would be unworkable to object to a school closure when the governors wanted it to close.

Councillor Goldsmith said:

“Closing any school is something I am sure none of us take any joy in whatsoever.

"Regardless of the circumstances, any closure undoubtedly leaves a dent in the community it serves, as is made evident by the response to the consultation.

“We as a group have strongly opposed previous school closures this administration has carried out but, as Councillor Taylor notes, this one is under very different circumstances.”

Conservative councillor Anne Meadows also said that it was a sad day to consider the school closure.

Councillor Meadows said:

“We sympathise with parents who see a school with a good rating from Ofsted and they trust their child’s teachers and like the smaller class sizes.

“We all understand that. We hear you. However, we also understand the dilemma for school governors who would not have taken this decision lightly.”

She added that the school budget would be overspent because of national insurance increases affecting school budgets.

Conservative councillors abstained from the vote.

The school is formally due to close on Sunday 31 August.