Leeds: Queensway Primary school closure consultation ends

Leeds City Council said the birth rate in Yeadon and Guiseley has dropped in recent years

Plans to close a primary school are expected to move forward after a consultation on the proposal ended.

Leeds City Council outlined plans to shut Queensway Primary School in Yeadon due to low pupil numbers.

Staff and parents have campaigned to save the school but councillors have now been asked to publish a legal notice on plans to shut the site.

The notice would give people four weeks to comment on the proposed closure before a final decision is made.

The birth rate in Leeds has declined over the past few years and in Guiseley and Yeadon it has fallen by 35%, according to the council.

It wants to reduce the number of school places in the area by shutting a school.

Queensway Primary recently celebrated its 50th anniversary

Feedback from the consultation on closing Queensway Primary was "highly valuable", a spokesperson for Leeds City Council said.

They said: "We recognise that Queensway Primary, like many schools, offers more than just a school place, particularly for those children and families who are more vulnerable.

"If a decision is made to close the school, the council would work closely with the school's leadership team, as well as other schools and services in the area, to ensure continued support for local families and secure the best possible outcomes for the children."

The school was rated inadequate following an Ofsted inspection in June and about 40 children have left the school in the past two months due to uncertainty about its future, a community committee meeting heard.

'No option'

However, parents and governors at the meeting praised the way the school cared for children with special educational needs, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Beth Ford, whose two youngest children go to Queensway, told councillors she would reluctantly educate them at home if the school closed.

"None of the other schools in the area can meet my children's needs," she said.

"I'm not just someone who looks to go to Queensway because it's my local school. I've no option but to go to Queensway."

Senior councillors will discuss the results of the consultation at a meeting on 23 November.

A decision on the closure is expected in March 2023 and if it is approved the school would shut when term ends in July 2023.

Campaigners marched to Yeadon Town Hall to protest against the possible school closure