A Marlow primary school has confirmed that it will permanently close at the end of the next academic year.

St Peter’s Catholic Primary School, which currently sits on Prospect Road, will shut its doors for the final time in July 2027 due to a lack of pupils.

Parents were notified about the news on Tuesday, September 30, with some learning about the pending closure a day later on Wednesday, October 1.

In a lengthy letter that was issued to parents, the CEO of the St Thomas Catholic Academy Trust, Mark McLaughlin, explained that it has been estimated that the school will have ‘fewer than 60 children’ in the next two years, and that they should roughly have around 210 pupils daily.

He also revealed that the reception class of 2025/26 is ‘around a quarter of what it should be’, and with schools being funded on the number of pupils they have, he admitted that St Peter’s has been put in a ‘very difficult financial position’.

In the statement, he said: “We are deeply proud of everything that has been achieved at St Peter’s.

“Ofsted recently praised the school for its ethos and approaches, as well as the children’s “impeccable behaviour”, and outcomes and opportunities continue to strengthen.

“It is a delightful place to be.

“Sadly, however, despite the hard work and efforts of so many people, the number of young people coming to school continues to drop as the local birthrate declines.

“This year our reception class is around a quarter of what it should be – and, given that schools are funded on the number of pupils that we have, this means we are in a very difficult financial position.

“Furthermore, with large year groups leaving, it is expected that we will have fewer than 60 children in two years and will drop further after that.

“Our school should welcome closer to 210 pupils each day.

“Over recent years, there has been a huge amount of effort to address this.”

He added that ‘lots has been done’ to promote the school to try and encourage new pupils to join,  but admitted that due to the lack of numbers and rising costs, the decision was made ‘with a heavy heart’.

The school is set to remain open for current Year 5s until July 2027, as there are fewer spaces for this year group in the local area.

This will ensure that these children can ‘continue to learn with their friends until the end of their primary education.’

He continued: “All other year groups will be supported to relocate to other schools in the summer of 2026.

“A full listening period will be launched.

“This will allow all our community to find out more about the rationale for starting this process and enable them to express their views – not just about the decision itself, but about how we support our community and ensure that this school has the ending that it deserves.

“While this is a difficult process, our key focus throughout will be supporting our children, our staff and their collective families.

“We will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the school continues to be a happy and productive place to be for as long as we continue.”