Queensway Primary School Yeadon: 'Heartbroken' parents in Leeds could take legal action over proposed closure

It comes after the council announced its intention to close Queensway Primary School in Yeadon, claiming the move is necessary because of falling birthrates, coupled with financial challenges.

Initial proposals from the council to close the school in 2022 were dropped following an outcry from parents, teachers and residents. But earlier this year, a three-week consultation on the authority’s latest closure plans was held.

Now, following the latest announcement, parents campaigning to keep the school open instructed specialist education lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to review the legality of the proposals.

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Campaigners said they were concerned any closure could have considerable impact on pupils with special educational needs (SEND), with no indication mainstream schools in the area would be able to offer the same levels of support - as more than half of the school’s intake is made up of SEND pupils.

Irwin Mitchell has written to Leeds City Council outlining parents’ concerns, urging the local authority to conduct a comprehensive assessment - or potentially face a High Court judicial review.

Abigail Hands, an Education Solicitor at Irwin Mitchell representing one of the parents, said: “Proposals to close schools are always a sensitive subject, which can have a huge impact on the communities they serve and the pupils directly impacted.

“These concerns are particularly acute when the school provides a vital lifeline to pupils with specialist needs. The school is a safe space and ensures the children can participate fully in mainstream education.

“Parents have a number of serious concerns about how the council has arrived at this proposal and have asked us to investigate further. We have written to the council and will now be taking steps to analyse the decision-making process to determine if all the correct steps have been followed and the implications considered.

“The parents have questions they want to see answered and it’s vital decisions are made lawfully and prioritise the best interests of the children involved. There are significant concerns as to whether Leeds City Council has failed to properly consider its legal responsibilities.”

Leeds City Council originally proposed closing the school in 2022, a decision they reversed after backlash. While parents and teachers believed this was the end of the matter and the school was safe, the council has again cited falling birth rates and financial concerns as a reason for closure, arguing such issues put the school’s long-term sustainability at risk.

One of the campaigners fighting to keep Queensway Primary open said: “The parents of the children at Queensway Primary School are heartbroken at the news that for the second time in two years, Leeds City Council has proposed to close this unique and wonderful school.

“We believe that Leeds City Council haven’t considered all other options. They’re trying to balance their books by targeting the most vulnerable children in the community, without proper consideration for the devastating impact this proposal has already had on the school and the local area.

“The lack of transparency in this process was highlighted by announcing the proposal just days before the recent OFSTED inspectors stated that the school was ‘Good in all areas’.. In addition, the consultation period only lasted three weeks, this is not a proportionate amount of time to properly involve all stakeholders.”

They added: “Of most concern to us is that we believe the council ignored the legal requirement to undertake equality impact assessments for each of our many pupils with specialist needs and have failed to provide any evidence that other local mainstream schools can adequately support them. The children could be moved to school that are miles away without proper consideration of the travel impact.

“In our view, Leeds City Council’s actions are discriminatory, don’t comply with the law and are hardly the commitment to equality, inclusivity and improved educational outcomes for SEND students in mainstream schools.”

A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said that the authority had no further comment, but referred to a report prepared for a meeting of the executive board next week. It outlines when an Equality Impact Assessment will be carried out, responding to questions asked throughout the consultation.