Small Primary Schools

Devon County Council has been looking into place planning for small rural primary schools.

It is worth analysing the term ‘small’ in relation to schools.  Nationally a small school is one with fewer than 210 pupils, but in Devon a small school is considered to have under 100 pupils and a very small school has less than 50 pupils.

In Devon there are 36 very small primary schools according to the autumn census in 2023, 21 of which are academies and 15 local authority schools, 4 of which are currently in the process of converting to academy status.  There are 116 small primary schools in Devon.

A review of birth data and the number of pre-school aged children confirms a projected falling primary cohort in most areas of Devon and this will have implications for small and very small schools.

Devon believes that small rural schools are at the heart of local communities, fulfilling an important and unique role. The Local Authority has a presumption against the closure of rural schools unless there are clear educational reasons, or that the financial position means that standards cannot be maintained, safeguarding requirements cannot be met or there is a failure to recruit a Headteacher.

Partnership working is key to the future of all schools nationally and within Devon.  DAG has updated its ‘Small school checklist’ to help governors think about planning for the future of their schools.