Consultation on the potential closure of Great Alne Primary School 

Overview

Warwickshire County Council is consulting on a proposal to close Great Alne Primary School on 31 August 2026. This is the first stage in a statutory process that needs to be followed before a decision is taken on whether or not the closure will go ahead

Why is the Council consulting on the potential closure of Great Alne Primary School?  

Warwickshire County Council has been working with Great Alne Primary School as they have experienced a sustained decline in pupil numbers which is affecting the financial stability and sustainability of the school.  

Great Alne Primary is a small school with capacity for 105 pupils in a semi- rural location in Stratford on Avon District.  The number of pupils on roll at the school has historically fluctuated which is a common situation for rural schools with varying resident population cohorts.  However, in the last five years the numbers have dropped year on year from 102 in 2020/21 to 21 in October 2025.    

The school currently has 80% unfilled places across the school. There are not enough children in the local area seeking places in this school. Great Alne Primary School is located in the village of Great Alne where a small number of children attend the school from the village itself, with the majority travelling from the nearby town of Alcester and the surrounding area.   

Schools receive money from central government based on the number of pupils they have on roll. This means that schools with a high number of unfilled places are under difficult financial pressure and have less money for staff, resources, equipment, extracurricular activities and enrichment activities for the children.  

As the numbers have rapidly and continue to decline, not only has the challenge to support longer term sustainability increased but educating such small class numbers and providing a broad and balanced curriculum will become extremely difficult.   

In conjunction with the Department for Education, two attempts have been made to academise the school but both sponsorships have been unsuccessful and no further opportunities for sponsorship will be available where there are concerns around long term financial sustainability. Also, proposed changes to legislation regarding forced academisation and the fact that the school is no longer in a category of concern, mean it is likely the direct academy order that is in place will be revoked by the DfE. The option of federation, whereby two or more maintained schools operate under the governance of a single governing body, has been considered but dismissed as this would not tackle the school’s declining numbers and budget position.

What does this mean for the children at Great Alne Primary School?  

It is important to note that no decision on the closure has been made and no closure would take place before the end of the current academic year. This could only follow on from a statutory (formal) consultation with parents/carers, staff, governors of Great Alne Primary School and other interested parties if this next step is taken.  

If closure is the final outcome of the process, families will be supported to obtain places for their children at other infant or primary schools.  

What does this mean for the staff?  

It is important that the Council aims to provide as much notice as possible.  The implications will be discussed further with staff during the consultation process.  

Why your views matter

This pre-statutory consultation (‘Informal’ consultation) stage of the process will run from Monday 3 November to Friday 12 December 2025.  

All views received during this informal consultation period will be considered before we can proceed to the next stage of the process.

If you would like to provide any feedback or comment please use the online form below or send feedback to schoolorganisation@warwickshire.gov.uk