School closure plan on hold after legal challenge
Plans to close a primary school have been put on hold after a parent launched a legal challenge over the council's decision.
Queensway Primary School in Yeadon, Leeds, was due to shut at the end of the school year after city councillors backed the move in a vote last month.
But specialist education lawyers for Irwin Mitchell said they had succesfully challenged the authority's decision based on "significant flaws in the consultation process".
Leeds City Council confirmed it would not issue a statutory closure notice and said it would "communicate the next steps, including directly communicating with stakeholders, shortly".
Parents and carers had earlier said they were "devastated" after being told by the council the school would close following a three-week consultation held in January.
Financial pressures and a low number of five-year-olds living in the area had put the school's long-term sustainability at risk, the council said.
A legal challenge was launched amid parents' concerns the closure would have a considerable impact on pupils with special educational needs (SEND).
Almost half of the school's intake is made up of SEND pupils, and parents said mainstream schools in the area would not be able to meet the needs of their children.
Irwin Mitchell said under the statutory framework for school closures, it was mandatory to conduct a pre-notice consultation prior to issuing a statutory notice.
Lawyers had argued that the pre-notice consultation had failed on a number of grounds, including not giving adequate time for consideration and response from the public.
As part of the legal challenge, the council was urged to stop the plan or face a judicial review in the High Court.
Education lawyer Abigail Hands, from Irwin Mitchell, said: "This outcome underscores the importance of adhering to lawful procedures for school closures, including conducting a proper consultation.
"There were serious concerns regarding the haste with which Leeds City Council were pursuing the closure and the impact this would have on the children, particularly those with special educational needs."
Ms Hands said it was now understood that unless the authority started a new statutory procedure, including a fresh pre-notice consultation, then the proposed closure of the school could not "lawfully and feasibly progress before September 2025".
"Lawyers have urged Leeds City Council to promptly communicate that Queensway Primary School is not closing, and update the wider community to confirm that school places will be available for the academic year beginning in September 2025," she added.
A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: "The council can confirm it has informed Irwin Mitchell that it will not issue a statutory notice in reliance on the January-February consultation and the decision of Executive Board from 12 March 2025."
Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Protest held against school's possible closure
School's 'utter disbelief' over potential closure
Under-threat primary school saved from closure
Leeds City Council
Irwin Mitchell
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