Statutory notice and full proposal: Closure of St Teresa's Roman Catholic Primary School

Date of publication: 7 September 2026

Authorised Officer: Jill McGregor, Director of Children’s Services

Notice is given in accordance with section 15 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 and the School Organisation (Establishment and Discontinuance of Schools) Regulations 2013, as amended, that Trafford Council proposes to discontinue:

St Teresa's Roman Catholic Primary School, St Teresa's Road, Manchester, M16 0GQ

  • School type: Voluntary aided school
  • Age range: 3 to 11
  • Religious character: Roman Catholic
  • Diocese: Salford

Proposal

This proposal is made by Trafford Council, Trafford Town Hall, Talbot Road, Stretford, Manchester, M32 0TH.

The proposal is to close (discontinue) St Teresa's Roman Catholic Primary School with effect from 31 August 2027.

Reason for closure

The proposal is being made in response to ongoing low pupil numbers, a significant surplus of school places in the local area, and concerns about the school's long-term financial sustainability.

School funding is mainly determined by the number of children at the school, so when there are fewer children, there is less funding.

We have reviewed pupil forecasts, birth data, housing information and local place availability, alongside the school’s financial position.

This table shows the closing budget position for St Teresa’s in each of the previous five years:

Year 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 2025/26
Surplus/deficit +£33,766 -£1,823 -£71,374 -£158,946 -£195,540

The forecast position from the latest budget plan submitted by the school in May 2026 indicates the deficit is set to continue to increase, as shown in the following table:

Year 2026/27 2027/28 2028/29 2029/30
Surplus/deficit -£380,792 -£588,904 -£800,558 -£1,077,665

Department for Education (DfE) statutory guidance states that local authorities can license a budget deficit position for a maximum of 3 years. Our local Trafford scheme states that, in exceptional circumstances, we can agree a deficit for up to 5 years, provided there is a financial plan to bring it back into balance.

The school is now in its fourth consecutive year of significant budget deficit.

The latest information indicates the deficit will continue to increase, and it has not been possible to identify a viable recovery plan.

Consultation

A period of consultation took place from 19 May to 29 June 2026. We have considered the consultation responses and themes. You can read more in the consultation response report.

Pupil numbers and capacity

St Teresa’s Roman Catholic (RC) Primary School has a published admission number of 30 and a capacity for 210 pupils. It also has a nursery class with 52 part-time places.

In the last 3 years, Trafford has seen a decrease of 3.1% in primary pupils, which is greater than the national decrease of 2.2%. The Stretford area is significantly impacted, with a decrease of 9%. St Teresa’s has seen a decrease of 34% in pupil numbers in the same period, which has contributed to a significant budget deficit. Pupil numbers in the area are expected to reduce further in the next three years.

This table shows the pupils on roll by age range and occupancy of the school on 4 September 2026:

St Teresa's RC Primary School Reception Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Total
Total places 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 210
Number of pupils on roll 2 9 6 4 9 0 15 45
Occupancy 7% 30% 20% 13% 30% 0% 50% 21%

The 2 reception pupils are not currently of statutory school age.

There are no pupils currently enrolled in the school nursery class.

This table shows a breakdown of pupils by category:

St Teresa's RC Primary School Reception Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Total
Female 2 8 2 2 7 0 10 31
Male 0 1 4 2 2 0 5 14
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities 0 2 1 1 2 0 2 8

Displaced pupils and alternative places

If the proposal were to proceed and St Teresa’s RC Primary School were to close on 31 August 2027, the current Year 6 pupils will be able to complete their primary education and transition to secondary school in September 2027.

There are currently no pupils in Year 5. There would be 30 pupils in Reception through to Year 4 who would need to transition to an alternative primary school place if the school were to close.

This table shows the vacant places in each year group at schools within 2 miles walking distance of St Teresa’s based on the latest data collected on 3 September 2026. It also compares this to the number of St Teresa’s pupils who would need a new place.

School Distance Reception Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Total
St Hilda's CE Primary School 0.3 miles 9 8 8 5 1 2 1 34
King's Road Primary School 0.3 miles 31 9 4 20 0 0 10 74
Gorse Hill Primary School  0.9 miles 20 14 10 10 0 2 0 56
Seymour Park Primary School 1.0 miles 1 5 1 1 0 0 0 8
St Ann's RC Primary School 1.4 miles 18 4 8 0 4 8 4 46
St. Alphonsus RC Primary School 1.5 miles 17 11 7 11 5 2 6 59
Old Trafford Academy 1.6 miles 24 29 20 23 13 11 21 141
Victoria Park Infant School 1.6 miles 2 1 3 0 0 0 0 6
Victoria Park Junior School 1.1 miles 0 0 0 7 0 5 0 12
Total vacant places   122 81 61 77 23 30 42 436
St Teresa’s pupils to transition   2 9 6 4 9 0 0 30

We consider that sufficient alternative places are available at neighbouring schools.

Future demand for places

The Council has considered birth rates, migration patterns, pupil forecasts and planned housing developments. There is a current surplus in the north locality of 7 forms of entry.

There is no indication that the current trends will change. National pupil projections produced by the Office for National Statistics forecast the primary population will decrease by a further 10.7% by 2031, which could potentially further increase the Trafford surplus position.

Using the established pupil yield methodology, it is estimated the total impact of all housing development in the north locality up to 2039 will be additional pupils equating to around 11.5 forms of entry in primary schools.

After allowing for parental preference and pupils moving, it is estimated the new demand from housing developments in the north locality up to at least 2035 can be met by the current surplus.

Evidence indicates sufficient primary capacity is expected to remain available locally for at least the next 9 years.

Transition support

If the proposal were to proceed, we would seek to support the wellbeing of children and to minimise the impact of any transition. We would work closely with the school, the Diocese of Salford, parents and receiving schools to implement a comprehensive transition and support programme.

This would include enhanced pastoral support, individual transition planning, opportunities for pupils to visit receiving schools, detailed transfer of educational records and targeted support for all pupils.

A transition support group would be set up to support families, including:

  • Principal Educational Psychologist
  • School Admissions Manager
  • Education, Health and Care Co-ordinator who is specifically supporting the Trafford pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan
  • Special Educational Needs Advisory Service (SENAS) Consultant

This group would be able to help families explore alternative school options and to support children through transitions.

Officers would work closely with school staff, including the school SENCO, to ensure the transition is managed in a caring and considered way. They would be able to make sure that information on children’s needs and on strategies and interventions to support learning is shared.

The group would work with families to understand individual circumstances, including sibling arrangements, when advising on alternative arrangements.

SEND considerations

No provision at St Teresa’s RC Primary School is recognised as being reserved for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

If St Teresa’s were to close, appropriate support and transition planning would be provided for the pupils with SEND who would have to transition to a new primary school.

If the proposal proceeds, all pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) would have an annual review to inform the decision about future provision.

Based on the information available, it is considered that the needs of pupils with SEND, currently on roll at St Teresa’s, could be met within another mainstream setting, subject to individual assessment and review. The transition arrangements would be managed by the SEND team of each child’s home local authority, in partnership with families.

If the proposal were to proceed, pupils who are currently undergoing statutory assessment would see no disruption to that process and evidence collected for pupils in advance of a formal request for statutory assessment would be made available to the receiving school.

The transition support group would include SEND professionals to make sure the right level of support is wrapped around this group of children and transition is as smooth as possible if this is required.

Early years provision

There is a range of school nurseries, private, voluntary and independent early years providers operating within the local area. The closure would not reduce access to funded early education places.

Impact on Catholic education and the balance of denominational provision

Alternative Catholic primary school places are available within a reasonable travelling distance. The Diocese of Salford has been consulted throughout the process.

There is a diverse range of schools in Trafford to support parental choice. In addition to St Teresa’s RC Primary School, the Stretford planning area has 3 other Catholic primary schools, 2 Church of England primary schools and 8 community schools and academies with no religious denomination.

The 4 Catholic primary schools in the Stretford planning area provide 1,155 places in total. If St Teresa’s were to close, it would leave 945 Catholic places in total in Stretford.

The Diocese of Salford census carried out in October 2025 indicated that there were 458 baptised Catholics on roll across the 4 schools. This information indicates there are sufficient places for baptised Catholic children.

In addition, a further 507 non-Catholic pupils achieved places in these schools because the schools were not oversubscribed from baptised Catholics.

There are also two Catholic primary schools within 2 miles of St Teresa’s, which are in the Manchester local authority. These are St John’s RC Primary School, which is in the same parish as St Teresa’s, and Our Lady’s RC Primary School.

Travel and accessibility

There are 436 vacancies across 9 different schools in the Stretford planning area, ranging from 0.3 miles to 1.6 miles walking distance from St Teresa’s.

Most alternative schools identified are within walking distance of St Teresa's. If the school closes, families would be supported to identify suitable schools close to their home address, and existing walking and sustainable travel routes will continue to be promoted. Consequently, the proposal is not expected to lead to a significant increase in car journeys.

If any family becomes eligible for travel assistance, they would be supported to apply for this.

Impact on the community

We recognise the significant contribution that St Teresa's RC Primary School has made to the local community and acknowledge the strength of feeling expressed during the consultation.

The importance of the school to current and former pupils, families, staff, governors, parishioners and residents has been clearly reflected in the consultation responses.

However, when considering proposals of this nature, we must also take account of our statutory responsibilities around making sure there are sufficient and sustainable school places and that individual schools are viable. While the community value of the school is an important consideration, it must be balanced against the demographic and financial factors that have led to the proposal being made.

Future use of the site

The school site is owned by the Diocese of Salford. Any future use of the site would be determined by the Diocese and relevant trustees.

Equality impact

An Equality Impact Assessment has been prepared and will be considered by decision makers alongside the proposal. Particular consideration has been given to the impact on pupils with protected characteristics and pupils with SEND.

Decision makers will have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty.

Representation period

Within four weeks from the date of publication of this notice, any person may object to or comment on the proposal. The representation period begins on 7 September 2026 and ends at midnight on 5 October 2026.

Comments or objections should be submitted to Trafford Council by:

Following the representation period, all comments and objections will be considered before a final decision is taken.