Falling birth rates mean schools are closing – affecting whole communities

Aleksandr Khmeliov/Shutterstock As another academic year ends, some schools will be closing their doors permanently due to falling numbers of children. In England, declining birth rates over the last decade have led to over 100 schools, predominantly in urban areas, permanently closing. This relatively recent phenomenon is unprecedented in modern times. The last drop in pupil numbers, in the 2000s, was addressed through increased funding and smaller class sizes, not school closures. The effect…