Three Wandsworth primary schools are operating below the council’s own stated viability threshold of 22 pupils per class, council budget documents reveal, as families at Oasis Academy Putney prepare for the fifth primary school closing in three years.
Griffin Primary in Battersea, West Hill Primary in Southfields, and Falconbrook Primary in Battersea are all running with fewer than 20 pupils per year group. The figures don’t mean the schools will close. But they show the three primaries face the same financial pressures that led to Oasis Academy Putney’s closure announcement this week.
Wandsworth Cabinet is scheduled to discuss the schools budget on 23 February, where councillors may address the sustainability of schools operating below the stated threshold.
The council’s December pupil projections stated that “schools with 22 pupils in a class can be sustainable in some schools (those with high levels of deprivation funding) but ideally 26+ is required to have all the resources to maximise the educational offer.”
The three schools below the threshold
Griffin Primary School in Battersea has 135 pupils across seven year groups, working out to 19.3 pupils per year. The school was reduced from a two-form entry school (60 places per year) to one-form entry (30 places per year) in 2024 following earlier admission caps.
West Hill Primary School in Southfields has 138 pupils, or 19.7 pupils per year group. The school’s published admission number was formally reduced to 30 from 2021.
Falconbrook Primary School in Battersea has 148 pupils, or 21.1 pupils per year. Griffin and Falconbrook were both reduced from 60 to 30 places from 2024 and 2025 respectively, according to council pupil projections presented to Schools Forum in December.
All three schools are now operating at between 64% and 70% of their reduced capacity. By comparison, Oasis Academy Putney had just 113 pupils, or 16.1 pupils per year group, when it announced plans to close this week.
Schools operating below the 22-pupil minimum:
| School | Location | Total Pupils | Pupils per Year | Capped Capacity | % of Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oasis Academy Putney | Putney | 113 | 16.1 | 210 (1FE) | 54% |
| Griffin Primary | Battersea | 135 | 19.3 | 210 (1FE) | 64% |
| West Hill Primary | Southfields | 138 | 19.7 | 210 (1FE) | 66% |
| Falconbrook Primary | Battersea | 148 | 21.1 | 210 (1FE) | 70% |
Council’s stated minimum: 22 pupils per class for basic sustainability, 26+ pupils ideal
The three schools join Oasis in operating well below Wandsworth’s stated minimum. Across the borough’s 58 primary schools, most remain comfortably above the 22-pupil threshold, with the largest schools running more than 140 pupils per year group. But Griffin, West Hill and Falconbrook mirror the pattern that led to Oasis’s closure – capped schools that couldn’t fill their reduced intake.
The death spiral mechanism
Putney.news documented in October how schools with high numbers of children from poorer families get caught in a funding trap. Wandsworth’s move toward the National Funding Formula shifts money from primary to secondary schools, hitting hardest at primaries with the most free school meals pupils – schools that have already lost 20.8% of their students as middle-class families leave inner London.
The result is a death spiral: falling pupil numbers trigger budget cuts, which reduce what the school can offer, which pushes more families to choose other schools, which causes further budget cuts. Schools can maintain good Ofsted ratings and strong academic results, but still become financially unviable.
Oasis Academy Putney was rated Good by Ofsted at its most recent inspection in December 2024, with 71% of pupils achieving higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics – well above the national average. Quality teaching couldn’t save it from the funding mechanics.
Cabinet member won’t rule out more closures
At a scrutiny committee meeting on 10 February, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services Councillor Judi Gasser was asked directly whether she could commit to no more school closures in Wandsworth.
“I can’t make that commitment,” Councillor Gasser said. “Some of the schools are struggling, some of the smaller ones. So I can’t promise you that. I wish I could, but I just can’t because there are not enough people having babies.”
A Cabinet paper published this month stated: “Although every attempt has been made to avoid school closures, which will come as a last resort, in the interest of Wandsworth children, families and schools, and to ensure a sustainable, high quality education system across the borough, our academy and diocesan partners have found it necessary to close three primary schools in recent years due to low pupil numbers.”
The council officially counts three closures: Christchurch Primary (August 2024), St Anne’s Primary (August 2025), and Goldfinch Primary (August 2025). Broadwater Primary, which closed the same month as Christchurch, was converted to SEND provision rather than closed outright. Oasis would become the fourth closure, or fifth transformation.
Why schools were capped
The council’s pupil projection document, presented to Schools Forum in December, explained that reducing forms of entry was “the preferred alternative to closing schools, as it is less disruptive and does not remove future flexibility/capacity from the system.”
The strategy aimed to manage falling pupil numbers by reducing school capacity: “3 forms of entry schools to 2 forms of entry, 2 forms of entry to 1 form of entry.” The document stated that “schools with 1 form of entry cannot go to zero forms” but could instead federate, merge, or share resources.
However, two schools that were capped – Goldfinch and Oasis – have since closed or are closing anyway.
Not all capped schools struggle. Granard Primary in Roehampton operates at 143% of its reduced capacity with nearly 43 pupils per year group. Several others including Swaffield, Fircroft and Franciscan all exceed their capped capacity. The difference: these schools successfully filled their reduced intake. Griffin, West Hill and Falconbrook did not.
Capped schools: thriving vs struggling
| School | Total Pupils | Pupils per Year | Capped Capacity | % of Capacity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granard Primary | 300 | 42.9 | 210 (1FE) | 143% | Thriving – over capacity |
| Swaffield School | 245 | 35.0 | 210 (1FE) | 117% | Thriving – over capacity |
| Fircroft Primary | 239 | 34.1 | 210 (1FE) | 114% | Thriving – over capacity |
| Franciscan Primary | 216 | 30.9 | 210 (1FE) | 103% | Thriving – at capacity |
| Falconbrook Primary | 148 | 21.1 | 210 (1FE) | 70% | At risk – below threshold |
| West Hill Primary | 138 | 19.7 | 210 (1FE) | 66% | At risk – below threshold |
| Griffin Primary | 135 | 19.3 | 210 (1FE) | 64% | At risk – below threshold |
| Oasis Academy Putney | 113 | 16.1 | 210 (1FE) | 54% | Closing July 2026 |
Pattern: Schools that fill their reduced intake thrive. Schools that don’t fall below the 22-pupil viability threshold.
The Cabinet meeting and what happens next
Wandsworth Cabinet was originally scheduled to discuss the schools budget on Monday 16 February but the meeting has been postponed to Sunday 23 February.
The Cabinet paper notes that 45% of primary schools (26 schools) will receive less funding in 2026/27 compared with 2025/26, while 55% (32 schools) will see an increase. The paper attributes this to the National Funding Formula, which the council is moving 20% closer to this year – double the 10% minimum required by government.
The document states this shift “moves funding away from primary schools towards secondary schools” and will particularly impact “schools with the highest number of children eligible for free school meals, these schools are the schools which have already seen the largest falls in pupil numbers.”
Wandsworth has lost 2,132 pupils over five years, according to the Cabinet paper. Primary numbers fell by 323 pupils (2.1%) between October 2024 and October 2025.
Parents with questions about their child’s school can contact Wandsworth admissions team on 020 8871 7316 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm) or email admissions@wandsworth.gov.uk.
Source documents:
Pupil Population Projections December 2025 (council document stating 22-26 pupil viability threshold)
Cabinet Paper 26-47 Appendix 1 – Individual School Allocations FY 2026-27 (shows current pupil numbers for all Wandsworth schools)
Cabinet Paper 26-47 – Schools Finance Allocation 2026-27 (council’s budget paper including admission of three school closures)
