Families 'devastated' as school closure announced

Families have been left "absolutely devastated" by a decision to close a primary school in Greater Manchester.

St Teresa's RC Primary School in Firwsood, Trafford, will close down in August 2027.

One mother told the BBC she feared she might not be able to get a place for her daughter at another local Roman Catholic school.

The council said falling pupil numbers had made the school's finances unsustainable.

St Teresa's is a state-funded school and its budget is managed by its governing body.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford owns the site and has a role in its governance, but Trafford Council oversees its finances, and made the decision to close it.

Council documents show St Teresa's had 109 pupils in July.

Of those, 21 had since left to attend secondary school, while 51 secured places at other primary schools for September.

With two new reception pupils joining, the school had 39 children on its roll by the time of the council's October report.

The council estimated that 24 pupils would need to move to another primary school when St Teresa's closes, with the remaining 15 moving on to secondary school.

Parents and teachers said they believed the proposed closure encouraged families to move their children before councillors had reached a final decision.

The council acknowledged some families had moved early but said parents were entitled to seek places elsewhere at any time.

A spokesperson said the council could not guarantee a child a place at a particular school, because admissions decisions depended on each school's arrangements, but added that three primary schools within 1 mile (1.6km) of St Teresa's had vacancies, along with two Catholic schools within 1.5 miles (2.4km).

Council figures show more than 50 pupils secured places at other primary schools before the decision, leaving just 39 on its roll.

Helen Fitzpatrick, whose daughter goes to the school, said families were "absolutely devastated" by the decision, announced on Monday.

The 39-year-old, who has helped organise a campaign against the closure, said she had contacted nearby St Ann's RC Primary School but was told it could not guarantee a place for September 2027.

Although a place was available when she asked, she said she would have had to accept it immediately and her daughter was not "ready to leave St Teresa's until it closes".

She said she also feared her child could "get lost in the crowd" at a larger school.

Another parent, Sue Green, said she faced a similar dilemma over her five-year-old daughter.

Her three children have attended St Teresa's over the past 12 years.

She said she had been told she would have to wait until July to apply for a September 2027 place, unless she transferred her daughter immediately.

She said she did not want to disrupt he daughter's education by moving her before the school closed.

"It's just so unfair," she said.

Cameron Kennedy, who has two daughters aged nine and five, said he felt more could have been done to save the school.

"I don't really think it was given much of a chance," the 41-year-old said.

St Teresa's deficit stood at almost £196,000 at the end of 2025-26 and could exceed £1m by 2029-30 if the school remains open.

The council spokesperson said the authority "had to make the difficult decision to close St Teresa's because of the significant fall in numbers of children over several years".

They said the council had worked with the school on its finances and explored alternatives, but was unable to identify a sustainable recovery plan.

"Closure is always a last resort," they added.

The decision has also left long-serving teachers facing an uncertain future.

Tracy Dawson, who has worked at St Teresa's for 25 years, said she had regarded it as the school where she would spend the rest of her career.

"I called this my forever school and this is not how I wanted to leave this school," she said.

"This school's been part of my life and I've grown here and got to know all the families and children."

Fellow teacher Tara Lote said staff were still waiting to learn what would happen to their jobs and did not "know what the future holds for us at all".

Lucy Jones, another teacher, said the school had improved educationally despite its financial problems.

"Sadly, the school is in a better place now than it's been for a long time in terms of our teaching and learning, but that's been taken away from us," she said.

In a statement, the diocese said it was disappointed by the closure decision and recognised the sadness it would cause for pupils, families, staff and the wider community.

A spokesperson said considerable efforts had been made to explore the school's future, but declining pupil numbers and financial challenges meant no viable alternative had been found.

"Our immediate priority is the welfare of the children, families and staff affected," they added.

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