Councillor Claims Decision Made to Shut Ivybridge Primary

Sue Sampson says revelation was made during Labour group meeting

The entrance to Ivybridge Primary School

July 17, 2026

Ivybridge Primary School in Isleworth has become the centre of a growing controversy after Councillor Sue Sampson claimed that a meeting of the local Labour group was told that the decision had been made to close the school.

Cllr Sampson, who represents Isleworth ward, said she it was revealed during discussions ahead of the cabinet meeting this Tuesday (14 July) that Ivybridge and The William Hogarth School in Chiswick were both set to close under the council ’s Schools Organisational Plan. She described the subsequent Cabinet meeting as a “predetermined decision ” and accused the administration of failing to carry out genuine consultation.

“During Tuesday’s Cabinet political discussions, I expected that the points I raised would be considered and reflected in the briefing. They were not,” she wrote in a formal objection to Council Leader Shantanu Rajawat. “Instead, we were presented with a predetermined decision that both Ivybridge and Hogarth will be closing. This approach does not constitute genuine consultation and fails to address the substantive issues raised. ”

No explicit denial of her account has been issued by either the local Labour Party or Hounslow Council. A council spokesperson has since said only that “there will be no schools’ reorganisation proposals implemented in the academic year 2026/27, ” adding that the authority will “use the time to move at pace and be ready to recommence discussions and actions in the autumn term 2027/28, with any decisions to be considered for September 2028. ”

In her objection, Cllr Sampson raised wider concerns about governance and transparency, alleging that Cabinet members were not properly consulted and that decisions appeared to have been made before the meeting took place. She also questioned why the council had not explored alternative strategies to address falling pupil numbers, such as reducing the size of larger schools rather than closing smaller ones.

Her earlier email to the council leader and to Cllr Madeeha Asim, the new portfolio holder for Children and Young Futures, highlights the financial pressures driving the reorganisation. She argues that closures are being considered “almost entirely by financial pressures rather than by any evidence relating to educational standards, pupil outcomes or the long‑term interests of children. ”

Cllr Sampson said she and former councillor John Stroud Turp visited Ivybridge earlier this year after the school raised concerns that it might be closed. Those concerns followed a conversation between the previous Lead Member, Samia Chaudhry, and the school ’s deputy head, which took place while Cllr Chaudhry was campaigning in her ward before the election.

In her correspondence, Cllr Sampson also questioned why the council had chosen to attach a new mental health unit to Beavers School — which is not in financial difficulty — rather than exploring similar opportunities at Ivybridge, which has a standalone unit that could be used for special educational needs provision to generate income. “The decision to place a mental health unit at Beavers, while not exploring the same or similar options at schools under threat, requires clarification, ” she wrote.

She warned that closing Ivybridge would have a “significant knock‑on effect” on other schools and that the underlying causes of declining pupil attendance had not been properly examined. “Without a full and evidence‑based consideration of these factors, any reorganisation plan is incomplete and risks further destabilising the local education landscape,” she said.

A spokesperson for the Hounslow Labour Group said, “There will be no schools’ reorganisation proposals implemented in the academic year 2026/27 and the Cabinet discussion was not to make a decision on school closures. While there is a national problem with falling school rolls, this council is moving at pace to find practical solutions. Discussions and actions will take place in the Autumn term 2027/28 with any decisions to be considered for September 2028. This administration remains committed to working with all our schools, parents, and unions to ensure Hounslow continues to be one of the highest performing education systems in the country and one that is fit for the future.”

The council’s own figures show that Hounslow schools face a projected £19 million deficit by 2029, and a year‑long consultation on school reorganisation is expected to begin in September. Nationally, London Councils has warned that falling pupil numbers could cut £45 million from school budgets over the next four years, with inner‑London boroughs facing the sharpest declines.

For now, Hounslow insists that no closures will take place before 2028, but the absence of a clear denial of Cllr Sampson ’s claims has left parents and staff at Ivybridge anxious about the school ’s future.