Senior city councillors agreed to shut Snape Wood Primary and Nursery School, in Aspen Road, Bulwell, at a meeting on Tuesday (18 November).
The school will close on 31 August next year, at the end of the 2025/26 academic year.
Cllr Neghat Khan (Lab), leader of the council, said: “The report outlines key reasons for closure, such as declining pupil numbers. Snape Wood has the highest number of surplus places in Bulwell; it is currently 42 per cent and projected to be 60 per cent by 2028/29 due to a sustained fall in birth rates locally and city-wide.
“It is not just a problem here in Nottingham; it is a problem across the country. Reduced admissions have led to a growing deficit, currently at £20,000. Continuing operation would compromise education quality.”
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According to figures published by the council, birth rates peaked both in Bulwell and the wider city in 2010/11.
There were 4,583 births in the city that year, but they have since been steadily falling to 3,119 in 2023/24.
In Bulwell, births peaked at 649 in 2010/11, but have fallen to just 391 as of 2023/24.
The school has capacity for 210 pupils, which would have resulted in a £1.5m grant from the Government to cover costs.
However, the current number of pupils enrolled at the school is 62, which means the council is only getting £460,000 from the Government, resulting in the “growing financial deficit”.
Cllr Khan said two consultations were held, with around 40 attendees at meetings.
She said 93 per cent understood the reasons for closure, but only 43 per cent agreed.
Sarah Nardone, corporate director for children and education services, added: “Questions that came out of the consultation were around the schools the children would be relocated to, the distance of travel and how reliable that would be.”
The council says it has been collaborating with all three local schools to plan for, and ensure that, children moving from Snape Wood can be accommodated from September 2026.
The closest schools are Hempshill Hall Primary and Nursery, Rufford Primary and Nursery, and Crabtree Farm Primary and Nursery, and there will be sufficient capacity made available across these three local schools to accommodate pupils who currently attend Snape Wood.
Affected families will be supported to apply for a place at their local school of choice, and the normal admissions criteria would apply for available spaces.
The authority said the closure and resulting financial savings will enable it to “create stronger and more sustainable school provision in the area, ensuring all local schools are fit for the future and able to provide high-quality education to their communities”.
