Issue 

On the 12th May 2023, it was announced that St Martin in the Field School for Girls Church of England Academy( STM) and the Department for Education have taken the decision to partially close the academy school in Tulse Hill by August 2023, after the end of this academic year. 

There was no consultation with the local community as to the impact of the school closure nor was there any consultation as to the loss of history and heritage with the closing down of the historic school.

We are concerned with the lack of cultural safety, classism and anti-Blackness involved in the decision to close down one of England’s oldest girls' schools. St Martins is one of the few schools within the borough that has a legacy of cultivating and sustaining Black headteachers at a Black majority school, in the heart of Lambeth with a historic African and Afro-Caribbean community heading back to Windrush 1948. Despite the school having a long history after being in Lambeth for over 300 years, we have seen no efforts by the Department of Education to preserve this school.  The closing down of the school shows a disregard for Black and working-class heritage sites and cultural preservation spaces and we as former and present St Martin girls demand a reversal of the closure of the school. 

What is at stake?

St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for Girls is one of the oldest schools for girls in Britain. It was established in 1699 as a charitable enterprise by the parish of St. Martin in the field.

St Martins' is in the top 5% of similar schools in England, The school today serves a catchment area in which an estimated 36% receive free school meals, and where a high percentage are lone parents. Almost 90% of the school's pupils are of Caribbean or African heritage. It is of particular importance that Black and minoritised safe spaces for learning are protected as Black girls in England are twice as likely to be excluded from schools as white girls.

It is also of note that the Academisation has led to the profiting of the school exclusion of children. The Conservative government through the introduction of the Academies Act 2010 was able to enable to force “failing” PRUs ran by the Local Authority to turn into Alternative Provisions academies run often by business owners. One academy brand that enables us to fully understand the issues with this new approach/ educational policy is ‘The Harris Federation was set up by Lord Harris of Peckham, a major Tory donor and one of the richest men in the country. Their CEO Dan Moynihan is the highest-paid academies leader, receiving a controversial £420k a year. The Harris Federation currently runs 41 academies in and around London. They have been criticised for their high expulsion rates, high turnover of teaching staff, and unreasonable use of public money’Academies are publicly funded businesses paid directly by the Government, they have complete autonomy over all that they do apart bar a few statutory duties. Yet a new Harris Academy was opened in Lambeth, Clapham just this September 2020 and is being sustained despite just having a Year 7 and Year 8 intake. 

Former Headteacher Ms Morrison says : “The fact is no one was made aware of the unilateral closure last week. The closure has been announced without compassion. St Martins has been an integral part of the South Lambeth community. We accept that roll reduction is a serious issue across the Borough but some schools have still been allowed to prosper at the cost of small church schools. The contribution that St Martin has made to this community is well documented and the academic success and other accolades attributed to the school must not be forgotten. We are disappointed that it is church schools who are bearing the brunt of the falling rolls.

St Martin’s demise will leave a huge gap in the breadth and variety of education offered in a diverse community. The community needs reassurance that heritage, legacy and culture will be preserved through some other establishment on the premises.”

We urge that you join us in saving STM by signing this petition and sharing it widely.