At the Special Full Council meeting on Thursday 21 May, councillors agreed to close Middle Street Primary School in central Brighton at the end of the current academic year.
In June 2025, the council appointed an Interim Executive Board (IEB) to address governance and financial challenges at Middle Street Primary School.
In January this year, the board concluded that they believed the school did not have a viable future due to the challenges faced and recommended to the council that it should close at the end of the current academic year.
A public consultation on the proposals was held between Friday 26 January and Monday 9 March, and the decision to publish a statutory notice on the proposed closure was agreed at the Cabinet meeting on Thursday 19 March.
The 4-week representation period following the publication of Statutory Notices in respect of the proposed closure of Middle Street Primary School closed at 5pm on Tuesday 5 May.
When proposing to close a school, councils are required to follow processes set out in legislation and Statutory Guidance issued by the Department for Education. This marks the final stage of the statutory engagement process required when proposing to close schools.
Eleven formal representations were received during the statutory notice period; 10 of these were individual responses, alongside one communal letter signed by 22 members of the Middle Street community.
These raised a number of cross-cutting themes and, having considered the representations, the council remains of the view that closure of Middle Street Primary School with effect from 31 August 2026 is the appropriate course of action.
There are currently 37 pupils enrolled at Middle Street Primary School, of which 27 are in year 6 and will be moving on to secondary school in September. Our analysis shows that there is sufficient capacity across the city's schools to accommodate all the pupils.
We’re continuing to work to support pupils to move into new school settings, and keep the impact on them, their families and the wider school community to an absolute minimum.
Middle Street Primary School will remain open for the remainder of the current academic year and will formally close on Monday 31 August.
We will be conducting an independent review to identify learnings and address any concerns raised by parents and carers.