The educational publication, TES, covers the news that funding problems and falling pupil numbers are increasing the strain on small schools with less than 150 students

Teachers’ union, the National Association of Headteachers, held its annual conference last week, during which a survey of members found that two in five (42 per cent) of 365 headteachers of small schools said they were concerned about the possibility of the closure of their school. Seven in 10 of those who took part said they have cut investment in equipment for their school to try and balance budgets.

Core school funding is awarded on a per pupil basis, meaning that smaller schools, with fewer pupils, get less money. £25 million in additional funding is set aside for small and remote schools through the National Funding Formula.

The headteacher of one small school said the closure of small schools, ‘would be the death of many rural communities’.  He continued: ‘The post offices have gone, the pubs have gone, the school building is often the last building left which glues the community together, so whether that's a village fete in the summer, a chance where all the community can get together, these are the great things that rural, community-based schools provide.’

Full article:

TES - Two in five small schools fear closure, heads warn