00:00Hackney Council will meet on Monday to decide whether to close or merge six more primary schools,
00:06despite four already shutting their doors permanently last summer.
00:10The Council has been recommended to close St Mary's Church of England Primary School,
00:14St Dominic's Catholic Primary School, as well as shutting Old Hill Community School
00:19and merging it with Harrington Hill Primary School.
00:22Hackney has also been recommended to close Sir Thomas Abney Primary School
00:26and merge it with nearby Homley Primary School.
00:29The Council has explained that the possible closures are due to an ongoing decline
00:34in the number of school-aged children across London.
00:37Hackney faces becoming a ghost area for education,
00:41as communities are destroyed by the number of families leaving the capital
00:45due to the cost of living crisis and housing prices.
00:49Staff at St Dominic's Catholic Primary School are now threatening to strike in February
00:54as they fight to save their jobs.
00:57Parents have also described how the decision to close and merge the schools
01:01has been heartbreaking and stressful.
01:04Hackney Council has said it cannot afford to financially support schools that are not sustainable
01:10and said it has to continue to consider difficult decisions
01:14to make sure all our schools are fit for the future
01:17and to protect the high-quality education that Hackney is known for.
01:22A final decision is expected to be made by the Council's Cabinet in April
01:27and the changes will take effect at the end of August.
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