Southwark agreed on 30 October to consult on closing St Jude's CE Primary near Elephant and Castle in August 2027. No family put it first; 45 pupils remain.
Updated 2 November: Councillor Rebecca Corn agreed on 30 October to start the consultation on the school’s future, including permanent closure from 31 August 2027. The decision can be called in until 6 November and takes effect on 7 November if it is not. The council had not published the consultation dates or how to respond when we checked on 2 November.
Southwark Council will consult on closing St Jude’s Church of England Primary School, near Elephant and Castle, from 31 August 2027.
The school, on Colnbrook Street, SE1, started this term with no Reception pupils at all. It has 45 children across Reception to Year 6, against room for 210.
The proposal is in a report to the council’s executive member for education, Councillor Rebecca Corn, dated 22 October. It asked her to agree to an initial consultation on the school’s future, with closure as the preferred option. She agreed on 30 October, according to the council’s decision record.
St Jude’s is about a mile and a half north of Camberwell Green and about four miles from Dulwich Village. It matters to the whole borough because it is the latest in a run of closures caused by falling rolls.
The numbers behind the proposal
The report sets out how far the school has shrunk:
- Reception intake: 4 in 2023, 1 in 2024, 6 in 2025 and 0 in September 2026. Four children have joined Reception since term began.
- First preferences: no parent named St Jude’s as their first choice for September 2026. It received eight applications in total, down from 36 in 2016.
- Whole school: 161 pupils in 2013/14, 45 at 18 September 2026, plus two in the nursery. That is a 72% fall.
- Empty places: 165, or 79% of the roll.
The council’s own forecast had expected 56 pupils this year. More children than predicted left between years, and officers warn the school could be more than 85% empty within two to three years.
The money follows the pupils, because schools are funded per child. The report says St Jude’s overspent by £162,951 in 2025/26 and expects to overspend by £126,973 this year. Its reserves would turn into a deficit of £79,122 in 2027/28. A deficit at a closing school falls on the council.
The options the council looked at
Officers assessed six options and rejected five:
| Option | Why officers rejected it |
|---|---|
| Cut to half a class a year | A school of 105 pupils would not be financially viable |
| A formal federation | St Jude’s is already federated with St Peter’s CE Primary and Peter Hills with St Mary’s and St Paul’s CE Primary, sharing resources, and that has not fixed the rolls |
| Merger | A merger with Charlotte Sharman Primary was considered in 2023 but the governors did not go ahead; Charlotte Sharman closed in August 2025 |
| Becoming an academy | Would not solve falling rolls |
| No change | No prospect of numbers recovering |
That leaves closure as the preferred option. The report says any other option raised in the consultation will be considered before a decision to go further.
The school is not failing. Ofsted inspected it in January 2026 and rated it at the expected standard in six of its seven areas, with attendance and behaviour marked as needing attention.
Why rolls are falling across Southwark
The report blames falling birth rates above all. The number of babies born in Southwark each year is down by 1,981, or 36%, since 2010. It also cites:
- families with primary-age children moving out, about 600 a year by the GLA’s estimate
- lower migration from the EU since Brexit
- housing costs, with average sale prices above £570,000 and average private rents of £2,395 a month
Since 2019, 26 Southwark primaries have cut their intake, and eight have closed since 2021. Even so, 18% of Reception places across the borough are empty, against the 5% to 10% the council regards as healthy.
In the area around St Jude’s, covering Borough, Bankside and Walworth, Reception numbers are down 43% since 2016. Officers say 12 schools would be enough there, against the 16 open now.
What happens next
St Jude’s is a voluntary aided school under the Church of England Diocese of Southwark. Closing it takes five stages under government guidance:
- Initial consultation, agreed on 30 October.
- A published proposal, within 12 months of the consultation ending, if the council wants to go ahead.
- Four weeks of formal representations, when anyone can comment.
- A decision by the council’s Executive.
- Closure, on the current plan at the end of August 2027.
The report puts the likely cost of closing, including redundancies, uniform grants and site security, at around £500,000.
What it means for you
- If your child is at St Jude’s, nothing changes this school year. The council says families will get dedicated admissions help and early support with moving schools, including for children with special educational needs.
- If you want a say, the consultation is the first point to give it. We will publish the dates and how to respond as soon as the council does.
- If you are choosing a primary school, the report says there are many spare places at nearby schools. Southwark’s figures show every on-time applicant has been offered a place for many years.
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