King Solomon High School faces closure after pupil numbers plunge

King Solomon High School could close next summer, after a sharp fall in pupil numbers left hundreds of places empty and put growing pressure on its finances.

Governors at the Jewish secondary school in Ilford have launched a consultation on plans to close it on 31 August 2027.

No final decision has been made, and the school will remain open while the consultation takes place.

But new documents seen by Jewish News reveal the scale of the problems facing King Solomon, which has served the community since 1993.

The school has 515 pupils across Years 7 to 11, despite having space for 900. That means 385 places are empty.

King Solomon is officially an 11-to-18 school, but its sixth form currently has no pupils and is also included in the closure proposal.

The school stopped admitting new Year 12 pupils in 2024 after too few students applied to make the year group financially viable.

Only 55 pupils joined Year 7 this month, even though the school had 180 places available.

Falling pupil numbers also mean the school receives less money, while many of the costs of running it remain the same.

King Solomon is expected to spend around £809,000 more than it receives during the current financial year. Its total deficit is expected to reach around £917,000.

Governors looked at keeping the school open for an extra year, until summer 2028, so pupils currently in Year 10 could finish their GCSEs there.

But they concluded this would cost too much. The school’s total deficit is forecast to rise to around £2.38 million by March 2028 if it remains open for the additional year.

David Collins, chair of governors, said: “This is a difficult and significant proposal for King Solomon High School and its community. Governors have a responsibility to consider the school’s long-term educational and financial sustainability, but no final decision has been made.”

The school has an Orthodox Jewish character, although today only around one in five of its pupils are Jewish.

The consultation points to a major change in the Jewish population of Redbridge as one reason for falling demand.

The borough had 14,796 Jewish residents in 2001, according to census figures cited in the document. That fell to 10,213 in 2011 and 6,431 in 2021.

King Solomon has also seen pupils leave for other schools. During the last academic year, 71 pupils transferred to other schools in Redbridge, while 11 joined King Solomon during the year.

The consultation says families may have been influenced by the school’s two consecutive Requires Improvement Ofsted ratings, as well as other individual reasons.

Governors say they have already considered ways of keeping King Solomon open, including making it smaller, cutting costs, joining an academy trust, merging with another school or sharing services.

However, no academy trust or education provider has so far been found that is both willing and able to take on the school.

The loss of King Solomon would also have a significant impact on Jewish education in the area.

It is the only state-funded, co-educational Jewish secondary school in the immediate area. The nearest alternatives are eight to 24 miles away, according to the consultation.

If the school does close in August 2027, pupils currently in Year 11 would still be able to finish their GCSEs there this academic year.

Younger pupils would need to move to other schools from September 2027.

Redbridge Council said: “At this stage, no decision has been made, and King Solomon High School remains open and operating as normal. We recognise that this proposal will be concerning for pupils, parents, carers, staff and the wider community, and we encourage anyone with an interest in the proposal to engage with the consultation process and have their views heard.”

Collins said: “This is a genuine consultation. We want to hear from pupils, parents, staff, alumni, community organisations and everyone with an interest in the school. We will consider all responses carefully, including suggestions for viable alternatives, before determining whether the proposal should proceed to the next stage.”

The consultation will run until 3 November.

Governors will then consider the responses and decide whether to drop or change the proposal, or move ahead with the next stage.

If they decide to continue, there will be another period in which people can object or comment before Redbridge Council makes the final decision on whether the school closes.