East Sussex protest as council agrees to close two schools

Parents, students and staff gathered outside of Hove Town Hall to protest

Parents, staff and students protested as Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) decided to close two primary schools in East Sussex.

BHCC agreed to close St Bartholomew's Church of England Primary School, Brighton, and St Peter's Community Primary School, Portslade.

Katie Blood, St Bartholomew's head teacher, said she was "heartbroken".

Councillor Jacob Taylor said: "It is with a heavy heart that we find ourselves in this position."

The co-chair of the council's children, families and school's committee, added the council was in a "in a crisis situation with the city's primary schools structurally underfunded".

'Really triggering'

Ms Blood said her school was the "heart of the community".

"It's really sad that the council feel this is something that can be done to our children," she said.

"We've got children who have been displaced already from other countries due to war and violence, who actually being displaced, again, is really triggering," Ms Blood said.

Mr Taylor said 29 of the city's 48 primary schools were running budget deficits.

"We recognise this has been a long and painful process for everyone involved in the schools, and we are also sorry for that," the councillor said.

However, Mr Taylor explained: "Reducing the number of the excess places is the right thing to do to secure the long-term future of the city's schools."

The council said its "priority is now on supporting pupils and their families" to transition to alternative schools.

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