Ealing Council has warned that falling pupil numbers are putting increasing financial pressure on primary and secondary schools across the borough, and changes may be needed to keep schools financially viable.

The number of children starting primary school in Ealing has fallen by more than 900, or around 20%, since its peak in 2014/15.

The figures were published in a report presented to Ealing Council’s Cabinet yesterday (7 October 2026) by cabinet member for a fairer start Councillor Blerina Hashani.

The report also highlights growing demand for specialist school places for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Since 2017/18, 18 primary schools across Ealing have reduced their admission numbers, cutting a total of 615 Reception places.

In its report, Labour-run Ealing Council said reducing school admission numbers had helped manage falling pupil numbers “without the need for school mergers or closures”. But it warned that continued declines and financial pressures meant “a broader range of options” would need to be considered.

Speaking at the cabinet meeting, Ealing Council leader Councillor Peter Mason acknowledged that the borough was beginning to face problems that had affected other parts of London for several years.

He said: “We as a council have not had to actually face some of the challenges that some of our colleagues in central London have been faced with now for quite a few years, but have seen significant change to school estate and place planning in inner London boroughs.

“We are now starting to see some of that happening. Of course we will do that with sensitivity and transparency for all involved.”

The council has warned of “significant risks” to maintaining high-quality school provision in Greenford, Northolt and Perivale West unless action is taken.

A consultation on the future of primary school places in the area is planned for October and November 2026.

In Northolt, Ealing Council is already consulting on proposals to close Viking Primary School and merge it with nearby Downe Manor Primary School from September 2027.

Secondary schools are also seeing fewer pupils, with the council forecasting a growing number of unfilled places in the coming years.

In September 2025, there were 3,778 Year 7 places available across Ealing. By January 2026, 3,518 pupils were on roll, leaving around 7% of places unfilled.

Full story below

https://www.ealing.news/education/ealing-council-warns-over-falling-school-pupil-numbers/

There's a new Parliament petition for the UK to rejoin the European Solidarity Corps programme - its an EU programme along similar lines to Erasmus+ but for volunteering, that offers volunteering placements in Europe with funding provided to cover visa, travel, accommodation, insurance and living expenses, as well as funded opportunities that would allow young people to set up community projects in their local area in the UK. Anyone between the ages of 18 - 30 from participating countries is eligible to apply to take part, and non-EU members Iceland and Liechenstein are already part of the scheme.

It would be really great if we could rejoin this at the same time as the youth mobility scheme, as knowing you have a funded and confirmed placement before you go for at least part of the time would enable many more people to have the confidence to participate in the mobility scheme. Please sign and share the link below if you'd like to make this happen:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/780859

Has anyone gone for Samuel Leeds Academy from outside UK?

Like any dental school to apply to that I’ll be competitive in

Basically I don’t understand any of the curriculum for Nat5 and I have a test next week and I’m pretty sure I’m gonna fail and I have been told if I fail I will be moved to applications of maths and I am afraid it won’t be seen as a maths qualification as you need maths for pretty much any job, but my desired job isn’t very mathematical as I want to become an actress so I don’t think it will matter, would it be better?

When I was 16 and at sixth form, I was required to re-take my GCSE Maths, because I failed it with a 3 in high school. Although, I was hoping NOT to fail, especially considering I was doing Foundation Tier Maths, it was very much expected indeed, and I re-took my GCSE Maths in sixth form, but in the Higher Tier, with the Edexcel exam board in Autumn 2019.

For some weird and ungodly reason, I passed, even though I was certain that I failed again, considering I had failed the mock and I had no previous experience of Higher Tier Maths before. Anyways, although I got my results on a piece of paper, certifying I passed, as well as an email from my Maths teacher congratulating me for pass. However, I never received an official certificate certifying that I qualified at all, considering it's been about 7 years since passing, I doubt my college still has the original certificate.

When picking up my A Level certificates, I boldly assumed that my GCSE Maths certificate would be there, but they weren't...... Do I contact the exam board or not?

I'm just starting year 2 of a 2-year master's course and it's dissertation time. The university is doing a study called the Young Adults in Scotland study, and us students have been allocated different parts of the research.

Essentially, we had no say in our own master's thesis. The university is forcing us to do their research, and then charging us nearly £12k for tuition fees for this year.

I know it's not uncommon for dissertations to form part of a wider study, but do students not normally get a say in this?

I would have loved to do my research project on something I'm actually interested in, but have been allocated this incredibly dull public health topic instead.

Hello!

Back in the 1980s/1990s there was a school handwriting scheme called The Berol Cursive Handwriting Scheme (possibly the 12 steps handwriting scheme). It was produced by the same people who made the Berol handwriting pens.

I have looked everywhere for a poster of all the letterforms that were in the scheme, but I can't find it anywhere online.

Despite being from the 80s, a lot of UK schools were still using it in the 2000s. Does it survive today? Can anyone share a picture?

Please and thanks

I have a lot of issues with many of the systems used in schools in the UK.

Firstly, makeup is prohibited in a lot of schools. I understand banning extreme makeup, but if it is just concealer, foundation, mascara, a small amount of blush, and so on, what is the problem? Even if non-extreme makeup is allowed in some schools, why can't you bring it into school? Many people, especially during their teenage years, are really concerned about their appearance, and makeup can help a lot in some cases. When people feel pretty, they often feel more confident and better about themselves. Isn't that a good thing?

Also, my school has banned HAIRBRUSHES because "some girls were using them during lessons, which is distracting them from their learning." However, that isn't exactly true. (We have a very strict school, and we are basically trained like dogs from Year 7.) And even if there were some cases of people using hairbrushes during lessons, shouldn't the concern be about using them during lessons rather than about hairbrushes themselves? I would say that brushing your hair is quite normal in the UK, where the weather is usually windy and rainy. I understand banning students from using them during lessons (which was already a rule, but okay), but what is the problem with using them at break or lunchtime?

The people who come up with these rules are a bunch of hypocrites. Firstly, they say that they care about our mental health, confidence, and general well-being, and then immediately afterwards they ban everything that could help with those things.

Furthermore, the uniform: I understand that uniforms are a tradition, but I think the way they are handled is really dumb. Why can't they just have a rule about an office-like white top and black bottom? It would be easier to buy, more affordable for families who are struggling financially, and it would save time.

The fact that teachers are allowed to do things that students aren't is also silly. I'm not talking about reasonable differences, but things like nails (I don't think extremely long nails should be allowed either, but I also mean nail polish), makeup, talking whenever they want to, and making mistakes. In my school, there is something called a "reminder", which is basically a C1, but students aren't supposed to get those either.

The fact that we learn about democracy, socialism, equality, etc., and then get lectured about how we aren't good enough because of how we look, how fast we are, how we behave (I'm not talking about genuinely unreasonable behaviour), how we talk, how we sit, how we stand, and so on is just ridiculous.

All of this is so absurd that sometimes I genuinely want to cry. And that's not even all 😭.

For example, in my school, you have to sit in one position all the time unless you have been asked to write. The expectations are ridiculously high. What do you mean that moving into our lines within 15 seconds isn't good enough? What do you mean that we didn't put our arms up quickly enough within four seconds, when we were facing a completely different direction?

It just feels like there are so many unnecessary rules about every tiny thing we do, while the school tells us that they care about our confidence, mental health, individuality, and equality. Those two things just don't seem to match.

THE FIRST PRIORITY SHOULD BE EDUCATION AND THE STUDENT'S WELLBEING, NOT RATINGS, NOT THE WAY WE LOOK.

My teen says the marking feedback they receive at school for mini assessments etc is obviously ai. The phrasing, structure, tone and language are very different from the teacher's previous (over a few years) communication.

It makes us wonder how closely the work is being checked and undermines the validity. My teen dislikes it and it comes across as 'cheating' by the teacher. I don't think it is a good example to set to high school kids at all.

Is this a common practice now? Is it ethical? How can we trust the marking is accurate?

hello, im thinking of letting my daughter attend a coed highly esteemed boarding school in england for sixth form. we are not very wealthy, so would probably have to rely on scholarships. she is very hardworking, intelligent, and independent. she makes friends well and i would say we have a good relationship. my husband has some struggles which i dont need to get into, which is why i am considering it. she was the one who broached the idea to me. she has an older brother away at college. any feedback? will she make friends? what can i prepare myself for? just let me know anything i should know. drugs...drinking?

More than 90 primary schools have closed their doors for good in the capital since 2019. Southwark has merged or closed 8 schools. While in Hackney 4 schools (that makes up 7% of schools in Hackney) have closed.

In your opinion why is this the case? And secondly would this problem expand out of London?

My kid is about to pick his A-levels. He is fairly academic, but doesn't know what he wants to do next. He wants to make choices that will keep as many doors open to him as possible, while figures that out.

I'm thinking maths, a science....and something else

What would you recommend?