The Aldgate School’s childcare provision has been at risk since the City of London Corporation agreed to decommission the former centre
City of London Corporation members are being recommended to approve ongoing funding for childcare services at the Square Mile’s only state school following extensive campaigning by parents.
The provision at the ‘Outstanding’-rated The Aldgate School, which covers children aged from three months to three years, is reliant on financial backing from the Corporation. Its future was thrown into doubt more than two years ago when members agreed to change how such services are delivered across the City and decommission those based at the school.
The funding was extended until August 2027 after an outcry from parents, with concerns including the affordability of the service at The Aldgate School and the need for continuity for their children.
Earlier this summer members voted to defer a decision until September to allow for more information to be gathered.
Without ongoing support the school has said the service would be shut down. In a report due to go to the Corporation’s Community and Children’s Services Committee (CCS) next week officers have recommended the funding be approved subject to an annual review.
Wayne Daly, one of the parents who has been fighting to protect the service, said he hopes members will back the proposal to enable ongoing access to “the only affordable and school-based childcare provider in the Square Mile”.
The City of London Corporation declined to comment.
The Aldgate School is in the east of the City in the Portsoken ward, by the border with Tower Hamlets. It is a one form Church of England primary and has integrated childcare on-site.
The school ran a children’s centre for more than 20 years, through which the zero to two (rising to three) service was delivered. The centre was decommissioned in 2025 as part of wider changes to local childcare, as agreed by Corporation members in March 2024.
Parents, and other interested parties, have however fought for the childcare service to continue to be based at the school, with its location, outdoor space and cost among the arguments to maintain the existing provision. In June 2025 the funding was extended to run until August 2027.
At a CCS meeting this summer, at which a final decision was due to be made, Chair Deputy Helen Fentimen suggested deferring due to concerns about the level of detail in the officers’ report.
Members agreed to push a final vote back to September, to the frustration of some of those present.
In the latest CCS report officers have explicitly recommended the £60,000 annual funding be approved alongside a one-off pay protection staff cost of £66,070.02. This is a reduction on the existing subsidy of up to £174,000 per year, following further financial modelling by the school.
Officers wrote: “The City Corporation has a statutory duty to secure sufficient childcare for resident working parents and those entering work through education or training. The report sets out that alternative childcare provider capacity exists in the City, but that sufficiency would depend on continued availability in a changing local market.
“It also notes strong resident and service-user support for retaining The Aldgate School childcare provision, particularly because of its affordability, outdoor space and continuity for families.”
The report added the school is not legally able to subsidise its childcare provision from other sources, such as its Individual School Budget (ISB), making the funding from the Corporation essential.
It also demonstrated the popularity of the service with all 16 places filled, eight of which are occupied by City residents. A total of 25 children are on the waiting list. If approved the funding can be met from the existing budget.
Mr Daly told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Though it has been a frustrating and much-delayed process for families and staff, the latest report is encouraging. It explicitly recommends that committee members vote in favour of the annual subsidy. The City Chamberlain has confirmed that the funding is available, so from our perspective, we see no barriers to members voting to fund the provision.
“We hope that they will support us as it will allow working families to continue to access the only affordable and school-based childcare provider in the Square Mile. We are thankful to the school’s representatives and City Officers for working together over the summer to get to this point.”
Common Councillor Jason Pritchard, a representative of the Portsoken ward who has been campaigning for the provision to remain at The Aldgate School, said he “very much welcomes” the officers’ recommendation.
He added that “this is a significant step forward for the children, families and staff who rely on the service”.
“The school has worked hard to reduce the level of subsidy required from up to £174,000 to £60,000 a year, and officers have confirmed that this can be met from existing budgets,” Cllr Pritchard said.
“This is a well-used, affordable provision with a waiting list, and it provides an important continuity of care and education for families whose children go on to attend the City’s only state primary school.
“I hope members now accept the officers’ recommendation and give the school the certainty it needs. We are talking about £60,000 a year to protect a service that means a great deal to the families who use it and whose benefits go well beyond simply balancing the books.
“The uncertainty has gone on for far too long. It is now time to make a decision and allow the school, its staff and its families to move forward.”
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