'Three Bristol schools may shut' as pupil numbers drop

Governors said St Pius X Catholic Primary School was "unviable"

Three primary schools in Bristol are facing closure because of falling pupil numbers.

There are plans to shut St Pius X Catholic Primary and replace St George Primary and St Michael's on the Mount Primary with a new school.

Bristol City Councillors are due to vote on the proposals on 25 February.

If the plans are approved and backed by the Department for Education, the schools will close on 31 August.

'Low pupil numbers'

Church leaders and governors at St Pius X Catholic Primary said it had a poor educational performance and was "unviable".

A full Ofsted inspection in June 2018 found the school to be inadequate in that it was "not providing an acceptable quality of education".

During the most recent visit in October Ofsted did not report "any significant concerns".

Some parents, angry at the planned closure, said they would fight to keep it open and praised staff for the caring environment they provided, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

If St Michael's on the Mount Primary closes a new school would be created on the site

St George C of E Primary is facing closure on August 31

There were 145 unfilled places across St George Primary and St Michael's on the Mount Primary, which already share a governing body and head teacher.

Ian Bell, school place planning manager for Bristol City Council, said: "In the case of St Michael's and St George, the proposal is to close the two and open the new school on the St Michael's site. There will be more than enough places for all of the children."

"In the case of St Pius, that would be straight closure."

A report to the Bristol School Forum said the proposals affecting all three schools resulted from "low pupil numbers over a number of years and no realistic prospect of this situation changing."