Have your say on Hackney’s education plans as council launches consultation

Students from All Saints Catholic High School take on an escape game as part of 2024’s Homerton for Homerton programme. Photograph: Suzanne Mitchell

Hackney residents have been invited to give their views on the borough’s education strategy.

The Town Hall last week opened a consultation on its strategy for the next three years, and people can take part until it closes on 22 September.

Cllr Anntoinette Bramble, deputy mayor and cabinet member for children’s services and young people, said Hackney is facing “significant challenges”.

According to the council, these include a fall in the number of children, an increase in pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, a high rate of secondary school exclusions, difficulties in finding and retaining staff, and financial problems.

Cllr Bramble said: “As with many other councils, we have limited resources after many years of chronic underfunding.

“It is therefore more important than ever that we look at long-term solutions, working together with our partners and our communities so that no family is left behind.”

The draft education plans, which were developed alongside families, schools and council partners, set out the five main priorities for 2025-2028:

• Providing the right support at the right time for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), focusing on early help, inclusion, and involving parents and carers as partners;
• Developing an Additional and Alternative Learning Service to ensure all pupils have access to a support model that treats children and young people fairly and equally and responds to their needs, promoting inclusive practice, and reducing exclusions;
• Ensuring that Hackney schools, children’s centres and settings are strong, sustainable and financially viable, working in partnership to provide the best possible outcomes for their children;
• Delivering a local education system that remains successful and is affordable and sustainable, encouraging schools to share best practice, innovate and support each other;
• Ensuring equity for children and families, so that children can follow their dreams and achieve the best possible outcomes, in particular for those that may need more support to thrive.

Cllr Bramble encouraged people to have their say on the draft strategy, adding: “Only by acknowledging our collective responsibility can we ensure that Hackney remains the vibrant, open and welcoming borough for all, a place that we are all proud to call home.”

The council said any feedback will be considered when it prepares its final Education Strategic Plan, which is expected to be published before the end of this year.

The Town Hall has faced numerous protests over its attempts to close local children’s centres, and last year settled a legal challenge out of court after accepting it had run an unlawful consultation.

Mergers and closures of primary schools have also prompted criticism, with the council blaming a decline in pupil numbers and a subsequent lack of funding for schools.

To take part in the consultation, visit bit.ly/educationplan2025 or join one of the in-person or online information sessions taking place between now and September.