Teachers and parents have expressed sadness at a primary school's proposed closure, with one saying it would be like "breaking up a big family".
A meeting of Newham Council's cabinet on Tuesday (May 6) heard that parents, carers, trade unions and wider partners have been told that the council is considering the future of Calverton Primary School in King George Avenue, Custom House.
The council highlighted "falling pupil numbers" and "extreme financial pressure" as the core reasons behind this decision.
Liam O’Hanrahan has been a teacher at Calverton since 2013 and drastically hopes the school will remain open.
He said: “If the school was to close it would be the ending of something at the heart of the community – it would fragment that part of Newham.
“The level of support and care we give is hard to find elsewhere.
“There’s a reason I've stayed here for so long – it’s a really nurturing environment with such a high level of care for pupils.
“There’s a lot of staff who have been here for a long time – I think there’s something unique about Calverton."
“I think with the local authority’s help, we can create a plan," he added.
On May 6, parents and staff at Calverton gathered in peaceful protest outside Newham Town Hall.
Liam described the atmosphere at the protest as "amazing".
He added: "Staff and parents came away feeling empowered – it could be the beginning of how we save the school."
Jahada Khanan has been a parent at the school for 15 years as well as a teacher for ten.
She was going to attend the protest with her daughter Amaya Wadud who is in nursery but Amaya fell ill on that day - they joined on a video call instead.
“We couldn’t attend but we joined on a video call and we were shouting ‘save our school’ from home," she said.
“We actually recently moved to Hornchurch and Amaya is still so happy at Calverton that we still commute to and from the school.
“The Calverton community is like a family, and closing the school would be like breaking up a big family."
Jahada also acknowledged that pupil numbers have fallen, something also noticed by another parent Bee Edwards.
She said: “Even doing pick-ups and drop-offs, you can see the drastic reduction in children which is unfortunate.
“Once that announcement that the school could close was made, parents panicked and started moving their kids – there seems to be five or six children moving each week."
She added that her daughters have had "really positive experiences" attending Calverton and she remains "confident that something positive is going to come out of this".
Another teacher who wishes to remain anonymous described her time at Calverton as "a brilliant experience".
She said: “Some of the staff working here even went to school here – it’s like a family home.
“It would be a great loss to the community if it were to close – I’m sure there’s got to be an answer to keeping the school open.
"Even if not for the staff and the community - for the children, especially those with additional needs who require a routine and a consistent place to come."
The consultation process is ongoing and if a decision is made to close the school, this could not happen before August 2026.
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