Purpose

Twineham CE (Controlled) Primary School is a Church of England school located in the village of Twineham, to the West of Burgess Hill and South-West of Haywards Heath.  The school caters for children aged 4 – 11 with a capacity for 105 pupils.  The demand for places at the school has been declining over time with 66 pupils on roll in the autumn term 2023, 48 pupils on roll in the autumn term of 2024, and 14 pupils on roll in the autumn term of 2025.  This continued decline in numbers has led to concerns about the viability of the school.

In September 2025, the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Learning approved the launch of a public consultation on proposals to close the school from 31 August 2026 (decision  CYPL07(25/26) refers).  A four-week informal public consultation in accordance with Department for Education (DfE) guidance took place during September and October 2025.  Details of the consultation process and the feedback received are set out in section 4 of this report and in Appendix 1.

The DfE guidance sets out the stages of the process that should be undertaken when considering a closure of a rural school.  Having completed the first stage, the initial consultation, the Cabinet Member is now asked to consider the feedback received and approve the progression of the proposal to the next stage – publication of statutory notices. 

Decision

The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Learning has approved the publication of a statutory proposal for the closure of Twineham CE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School from 31 August 2026.