A Bollington primary school could face closure after pupil numbers plummeted to just six at the start of this autumn term.

St Gregory's Catholic Primary School, which can cater for 105 pupils, has struggled over the past few years with declining numbers.

As a result it has operated with a challenging three-year deficit budget, a report to Cheshire East Council's children and families committee says.

One of the options the committee is being asked to consider when it meets next week is to approve the commencement of 'formal statutory processes regarding the future of the school, which includes potential school closure'.

It adds if the long-term position for the school is closure, this will not be immediate as formal processes have to be followed.

The report states: "The local authority, through its officers within education services, has regarded St Gregory's Catholic Primary School as a 'school causing concern' for a considerable period.

"This has been due to its challenges in securing sufficient pupils on roll to allow for a sustainable and affordable budget to be set."

In February 2022 the school received an inadequate Ofsted judgement.

The report to the committee states: "The local authority is required to complete a 'statement of action' following an inadequate Ofsted judgement and this was approved by Ofsted in terms of a rapid improvement plan.

"This plan was based upon the national expectation that the school would now join an academy trust as a sponsored school, which would assist in providing the appropriate levels of support to improve the quality of education."

Because St Gregory's is a diocesan school, such a trust had to meet the requirements of the Diocese of Shrewsbury.

The report continues: "Following extensive meetings with diocesan officers and members of the north west regional director's team, it has become clear that the preferred local diocesan academy trust does not consider this school a viable option in terms of its financial position – this is primarily due to the ongoing fall in pupil numbers."

It adds: "The position was reached that, as no suitable trust option was available, that careful consideration needed to be given to the sustainability of this school and that structured consultation would need to be considered which could include the option to close the school."

A parents' meeting was held at the school in July to inform the local community that this process was to be considered by the children and families committee in September.

The report says that, because of the uncertainty, more parents had sought alternative schools for their children and that, as of September 7, 'numbers for the start of the new academic year 2023/2024 are extremely low, with only six pupils at the school'.

The children and families committee meeting takes place at 10am on Monday, September 18 at the council's Westfields HQ at Sandbach.

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