The consultation will open on 5 October and run for 6 weeks, with parents, pupils, staff, governors and residents all encouraged to have their say. The consultation will be published on the council’s consultation website, Have your say Ealing, with details shared as soon as available.
The council’s cabinet will consider the consultation responses before deciding whether to publish a statutory proposal for any changes.
The decision to consult follows a report last week, which proposed asking communities for their views on a range of options for the future of the schools. These include a preferred option to close Viking Primary school and merge with Downe Manor from September 2027. This option would mean that all children enrolled at Viking Primary School when it closes would be offered a place at Downe Manor.
The consultation will include other options, including maintaining the current arrangements, as well as alternative approaches to reducing school capacity in the area.
The council’s decision to consult reflects that, like many London boroughs, Ealing has seen a significant drop in primary pupil numbers over the past decade. This creates financial challenges for schools because they receive their funding from the government based on the number of pupils. If a school doesn’t have enough funding, it can impact their staffing, facilities and their ability to offer the full curriculum.
Councillor Blerina Hashani, Ealing Council's cabinet member for a fairer start, said:
"We want all children in Ealing to have the best possible start in life. That means a good education, with access to a full curriculum, in a modern, high-quality learning environment. To make sure our schools are properly funded and can offer this now and, in the future, we need to carefully manage school places to match demand.
“I know people care deeply about their local schools so I would encourage parents, pupils, staff, governors and residents of both school communities to share their views as part of the consultation process.
“No decisions have yet been made on the future of Viking and Downe Manor, and any decision will consider the views from the consultation.
“We will share the consultation details as soon as it opens so if the proposals impact you, please get involved.’’
Read the cabinet member decision
Read the Individual Cabinet Member Decision (ICMD) report