Families 'devastated' as school closure announced

Families say they are devastated by a decision to close a Catholic primary school in Greater Manchester.

St Teresa's RC Primary School in Firwsood, Trafford, will close down in August 2027.

One mother told the BBC she feared she might not be able to get a place for her daughter at another local Catholic school.

The council said falling pupil numbers had made the school's finances unsustainable.

Council figures show more than 50 pupils secured places at other primary schools before the decision, leaving just 39 on its roll.

Helen Fitzpatrick, 39, whose daughter Delilah attends St Teresa's, said families were "absolutely devastated" by the decision, announced on Monday.

Fitzpatrick, who helped organise a campaign against the closure, said she had contacted nearby St Ann's RC Primary School but was told it could not guarantee Delilah a place for September 2027.

Although a place was available when she enquired, she said she would have had to accept it immediately.

"Delilah isn't ready to leave St Teresa's until it closes," she said.

She said she feared Delilah could "get lost in the crowd" at a larger school.

Delilah said she was "very sad" about the school closing.

Another parent, Sue Green, said she faced a similar dilemma over her five-year-old daughter Bethany.

Her three children have attended St Teresa's over the past 12 years.

She said she had been told she would have to wait until July to apply for a September 2027 place, unless she transferred her daughter immediately.

She said she did not want to disrupt Bethany's education by moving her before the school closed.

"It's just so unfair," she said.

St Teresa's is a state-funded Catholic school whose budget is managed by its governing body.

The Diocese of Salford owns the site and has a role in its Catholic governance, but Trafford Council oversees its finances, and made the decision to close it.

Council documents show St Teresa's had 109 pupils in July.

Of those, 21 left to attend secondary school, while 51 secured places at other primary schools for September.

With two new reception pupils joining, the school had 39 children on its roll by the time of the council's October report.

The council estimates that 24 pupils will need to move to another primary school when St Teresa's closes, while the remaining 15 will finish Year 6 and move to secondary school as normal.

Parents and teachers believe the proposed closure encouraged families to move their children before councillors reached a final decision.

The council acknowledged some families had moved early but said parents were entitled to seek places elsewhere at any time.

It said it could not guarantee a child a place at a particular school, because admissions decisions depended on each school's arrangements.

But it said three primary schools within a mile of St Teresa's had vacancies, along with two Catholic schools within 1.5 miles.

Cameron Kennedy, 41, who has two daughters aged nine and five, said he felt more could have been done to save the school.

"I don't really think it was given much of a chance," he said.

St Teresa's deficit stood at almost £196,000 at the end of 2025-26.

It could exceed £1m by 2029-30 if the school remained open.

A council spokesperson said: "We have had to make the difficult decision to close St Teresa's because of the significant fall in numbers of children over several years."

The authority said it had worked with the school on its finances and explored alternatives, but was unable to identify a sustainable recovery plan.

"Closure is always a last resort," the spokesperson added.

The decision has also left long-serving teachers facing an uncertain future.

Tracy Dawson, who has worked at St Teresa's for 25 years, said she had regarded it as the school where she would spend the rest of her career.

"I called this my forever school and this is not how I wanted to leave this school," she said.

"This school's been part of my life and I've grown here and got to know all the families and children."

Fellow teacher Tara Lote said staff were still waiting to learn what would happen to their jobs.

"We don't know what the future holds for us at all," she said.

Lucy Jones, another teacher, said the school had improved educationally despite its financial problems.

"Sadly, the school is in a better place now than it's been for a long time in terms of our teaching and learning, but that's been taken away from us," she said.

In a statement, the diocese said it was disappointed by the closure decision and recognised the sadness it would cause for pupils, families, staff and the wider community.

It said considerable efforts had been made to explore the school's future, but declining pupil numbers and financial challenges meant no viable alternative had been found.

"Our immediate priority is the welfare of the children, families and staff affected," it said.

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