Consultations on the future of four Camden schools will go ahead following a decision last night by Camden Council’s cabinet.
Cabinet agreed to launch public consultations on St Alban’s Church of England Primary School in Holborn, St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School in Kentish Town, St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Bloomsbury, and La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School in Highgate Road.
What the consultation will cover
Parents, staff and local communities will be invited to have their say on the future of the schools, which education chiefs say face “significant challenges” due to falling pupil numbers and increasing financial pressures. The plan first emerged last week, with the council blaming falling birth rates, rising housing costs and families moving out of the capital.
Options under consideration vary by school. For St Alban’s, these include reducing the number of places, merging with another Camden primary, or closure. St Joseph’s could have a smaller intake or close; St Patrick’s could reduce places, merge, or close.
For La Sainte Union, the proposals include reducing places, forming a federation with another secondary school, closing the main school while retaining the sixth form, or closing the school altogether.
What happens next
The consultation runs from 2 November to 14 December 2026, with a further four-week statutory consultation in early 2027 if closure is proposed. Final Cabinet decisions are expected in April 2027, with September 2027 the earliest any change could take effect.
The council stresses that all four schools will remain fully operational throughout the 2026–27 academic year, and that the proposals are about budgets and pupil numbers, not teaching standards.
Read more of our London education coverage: Jubilee Primary in Thamesmead’s latest Ofsted report.
