Richmond Council proposes shutting Kew Riverside Primary, which has 87 pupils for 210 places

Kew Riverside Primary School could close next summer under a Richmond Council proposal driven by falling pupil numbers. Consultation on the plan ends on 16 October.

Only 87 children are on the roll at the school, which has room for 210, according to Achieving for Children (AfC), the contractor that runs children’s services in Richmond. AfC expects the number to fall further over the next five years.

Why Kew Riverside Primary faces closure

AfC said staffing has already been trimmed and costs cut, yet the school is still forecast to be more than £400,000 in the red by 2028/29. Government funding follows pupil numbers, and AfC said lower birth rates and families leaving the area mean Richmond has fewer children of primary age, which puts school budgets under pressure.

Councillor Julia Cambridge, the Liberal Democrat chair of the education committee, said further savings could not be found without harming the way the curriculum is taught. The school’s remaining reserves are expected to be used up before this school year ends. She said the proposal “in no way is a reflection” of concerns about the school’s standards or its leadership. No final decision has been made, and she said the council would weigh every response once the consultation closes.

Should the council press ahead, the school would shut at the end of the academic year. Every child would be guaranteed a move to Darell Primary, which is also in Kew. Parents would remain free to seek a place elsewhere wherever there are vacancies.

Parents push back over the Kew school’s future

Parents set out their concerns at a council meeting on Tuesday 6 October. In a written question, parent Adam Smith called Kew Riverside a thriving school with a close community behind it. He pointed to its substantial provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and a very positive Ofsted inspection.

He said the school is not in deficit now and is only forecast to be from 2027, and asked why closure was on the table at this point. He asked councillors to let the school look at other options before shutting it.

Ofsted’s report, published in September, found that staff looked after pupils’ wellbeing and wider needs well. Inspectors called the curriculum ambitious and said pupils typically achieve well.