Ministers mull putting health services in spare primary classrooms

The government is examining whether it can use spare primary school buildings to provide health services for families, the education secretary has said.

Pupil numbers in primary schools are falling nationally due to a population bulge moving into the secondary phase, a problem that is more acute in London due to the compound impact of Brexit and the cost of housing from inner boroughs.

Schools Week has documented how this is leading to school closures and mergers. The government is already funding some primaries to open nursery classes in disused buildings.

Bridget Phillipson told a webinar for primary school staff today that ministers were thinking about “how we use the school estate, both in terms of education, but also wider family services”.

“Health, for example. I know the [health] secretary is looking at how we can do more to bring health services into schools where we can, so that parents…so it’s easy to access.”

Phillipson said falling rolls was “both a challenge but also, I think, an opportunity in some ways”.

She pointed to the school-based nursery programme, which aims to use spare capacity on primary school sites for early years provision.

“The other area where I think we really need to think more imaginatively as space opens up, is around support for children with SEND. Using capital investment to create more specialist provision in mainstream.

“There are some councils who are already doing great work on this. There were some trusts that have really led the way, but we as a department will be supporting much more of that in the years to come.”

‘It will require decisions around mergers’

Primary numbers have been falling for several years. In the London borough of Lambeth, for example, three in 10 primary places are spare.

Phillipson admitted today that “there are frankly challenges around the falling birth rate, even despite everything I just said.

“It will require decisions around, in some cases for example, mergers of schools. This was happening already. The birth rate shows no sign of shifting any time soon.”