An independent review has started looking into what went wrong at a Brighton primary school which went from being highly regarded to unviable in a few short years.
There are concerns that the collapse of Middle Street Primary School could be repeated at almost any other school unless lessons are learnt.
While the school’s six-figure financial deficit became overwhelming, parents appeared to have lost confidence in the school, not least because safeguarding concerns did not appear to have been addressed until it was too late.
Parents contacted the council directly but were referred to the governors even as the council was in talks with the Department for Education about taking the unusual step of replacing the governors with an interim executive board (IEB).
The move has to be signed off by the Secretary of State for Education – and Middle Street was the first school in Brighton and Hove to require an IEB to be appointed.
The IEB appears to have been briefed about the school’s financial difficulties. It ended the most recent financial year with a deficit of more than £330,000 on a budget of £866,000.
But the IEB did not appear to have been briefed about a series of safeguarding concerns, some of which led to parents pulling their children out of the school midway through the school year.
When IEB chair Anne Allison became aware of those concerns, she ensured that they were properly investigated – something that had not happened when they were first raised with the school.
Today, Brighton and Hove City Council, which made the decision to close the school, said: “An independent learning review looking into past governance arrangements at Middle Street Primary School, in central Brighton, has begun.
“In June 2025, the council appointed an interim executive board (IEB) to address governance and financial challenges at the school.
“In January this year, the board concluded that they believed the school did not have a viable future due to the challenges faced and recommended to the council that it should close at the end of the current academic year.
“Following public consultation and the statutory process, councillors agreed to close the school at the special full council meeting on Thursday 21 May. The school will formally close on Monday 31 August.
“As part of the process, it was also agreed to carry out an independent learning review to identify any learning and address any concerns raised by parents and carers.
“The aim of the review is to identify key lessons for the council and its education partners to bring improvements in future practice and decision‑making.
“The reviewer will talk to a few key stakeholders and look at key documentation in order to
- consider how concerns raised by parents, carers and others regarding leadership and governance were received, understood and responded to by relevant parties
- review the timeliness, clarity and co-ordination of actions taken by the governing board, IEB and the local authority once formal involvement began
- examine governance, oversight and escalation arrangements, including the operation of interim governance
- identify strengths, gaps and opportunities for improvement in systems, processes and communication
“The review will not be duplicating any employment, disciplinary or statutory investigations or looking at matters outside the governing body and local authority’s statutory role.
“At the conclusion, the independent reviewer will produce a written report setting out the key learning, themes and clear, practical recommendations focused on improving systems. The key learning points will be shared publicly.”
