On Thursday 21st May 2026 at 15:33, Brighton & Hove City Council voted to proceed with the closure of Middle Street Primary School, despite over 1,370 people signing this petition in support of the school and the community around it.
All the Labour councillors voted for the closure along with one Green councillor. The rest of the Greens and all the Conservative and Independent councillors voted against.

Middle Street Primary School will formally close on 31st August 2026.

While this is an incredibly painful outcome for many families, children, staff, and supporters, we are deeply grateful to everyone who stood with us, signed the petition, attended meetings, spoke out, and fought for the school.

Throughout this process, our community raised serious concerns about how the school was allowed to reach this point. Middle Street was once a thriving school with a waiting list, strong community support and up until last year had consistently run at 90% capacity. Many people believe the decline in confidence and pupil numbers followed failures that were not addressed early enough, alongside a lack of foresight and meaningful intervention before the situation became critical.

At the council meeting, we delivered the petition, again voicing our concerns. Even though the vote did not go the way we hoped, it was important that those voices were heard and placed on public record.

Many in the community remain deeply concerned about the wider implications of this decision: not only for the children and families directly affected, but for what it says about how situations like this are managed before they reach crisis point.

Most importantly, we want to recognise the children, staff, and families who made Middle Street such a special school community over many years.

For generations, Middle Street has been part of the fabric of Brighton life. After 221 years, the sound of children’s laughter through the Lanes will fall silent. The daily school run, the friendships, the familiar faces at the gates, the small businesses welcoming families before and after school, all of it will now become part of the school’s history.

This closure is not just the loss of a school building it is the loss of a long-standing community, a piece of Brighton’s history, and a place that shaped the lives of generations of children. And it reflects a failure to act early enough to protect a 2 century old institution before decline became irreversible. 

To everyone who signed, shared, attended meetings, spoke out, and stood beside the school, we thank you. Your support, compassion, and determination meant more than words can say.

Middle Street deserved better.