Warwickshire Primary School With Only 12 Pupils Faces Imminent Closure
Great Alne Primary School in Warwickshire, a Midlands institution with a capacity for 112 children, is currently operating with just 12 pupils, representing less than ten percent of its maximum enrollment. The school's precarious situation has led Warwickshire County Council to consider shutting it down at the end of the current academic year, citing unsustainable financial conditions and a sharp decline in student numbers.
Ofsted Inspections Reveal Troubling Decline in Performance
The school's most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2025 rated all areas as requiring improvement. This follows a harsh assessment in April 2023, where the school was deemed inadequate across all categories, with few positive notes. The 2023 report highlighted significant leadership turbulence, including an absent headteacher who had recently resigned, part-time leadership support, and an interim head with limited prior involvement.
The inspection findings pointed to a prolonged period of instability in school leadership, which negatively impacted daily learning experiences and contributed to a weak safeguarding culture. This marked a dramatic fall from the school's 2018 Ofsted report, which had maintained that the institution "continues to be good."
Steep Enrollment Drop and Financial Unsustainability
Council data reveals a startling decline in pupil numbers over recent years. As recently as October 2020, the school had 102 pupils. This number dropped to 91 by 2021, then fell sharply to 71 by October 2022. Following the inadequate Ofsted inspection in early 2023, enrollment plummeted to just 39 pupils by October of that year, with current figures standing at only 12 students.
Warwickshire County Council's cabinet will make a final decision on closure in April, with the school's financial position considered unsustainable. A council report acknowledged that declining demand for school places, combined with the school's performance issues in recent years, likely contributed to parents choosing alternative educational settings for their children.
Council Support Efforts and Community Response
The council reported having invested in various support measures for the school, including financial assistance, school improvement initiatives, and marketing and promotional efforts. Despite these interventions and some noted improvements in standards with support from another local school, significant challenges remain regarding sustainability, declining pupil numbers, mixed stakeholder feedback, and ongoing financial viability concerns.
An initial consultation received 194 responses, with 77 percent opposing the closure. Community members argued that the school remains vital to the rural village and broader area, highlighting its previous performance quality, current improving standards, and potential use as a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) hub. Those in favor of closure pointed primarily to the school's financial burden on the council.
Ongoing Consultation and Future Implications
The proposed closure remains subject to an ongoing round of public consultation, which concludes on Sunday, March 8, 2026. The council has provided data-driven responses dismissing the need for additional school places in the area, though specific details about what went wrong between 2018 and 2023, or the precise efforts made to turn matters around, were not provided in the available reports.
This situation highlights broader challenges facing rural educational institutions, where declining populations and performance issues can create unsustainable conditions despite community attachment and historical significance.
