Eight Labour councillors have called in the decision to consult on closing Bishop Stopford's, Starks Field and Suffolks. Scrutiny councillors decide its fate on Tuesday 3 November.

The consultation on closing three Enfield schools is on hold. Eight opposition councillors have called in Cabinet’s decision, and the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee will hear the challenge on Tuesday 3 November at 7pm. (Enfield Council, Overview and Scrutiny Committee agenda, 3 November 2026)

Cabinet agreed on 14 October to consult on closing Bishop Stopford’s School, Starks Field Primary School and Suffolks Primary School, and on alternatives to closure. We reported the decision at the time. (Enfield Council, Cabinet minutes, 14 October 2026)

The council’s rules need seven councillors to call in a decision. Eight signed this one, all of them Labour. The council is led by the Conservative group, under Councillor Alessandro Georgiou. (Enfield Council, list of councillors calling in the decision) (Enfield Council, councillors by party)

The eight are:

  • Ian Barnes (Jubilee), who leads the call-in
  • Ergin Erbil (Edmonton Green)
  • Niamh O’Brien (Ponders End)
  • Bektas Ozer (Brimsdown)
  • Doug Taylor (Palmers Green)
  • Chris James (Palmers Green)
  • Gunes Akbulut (Edmonton Green)
  • Nawshad Ali (Carterhatch)

What the councillors want

They are not asking for the consultation to be scrapped. Their eight-page case says: “The purpose of this call-in is not to prevent consultation or ignore the challenges created by falling pupil numbers.” (Enfield Council, reasons for call-in)

They want the decision sent to a meeting of the full council, and the consultation put off until:

  • errors in the evidence given to Cabinet have been corrected
  • the full method for choosing the three schools, and each school’s scores, are published
  • alternatives to closure have been costed
  • the impact on vulnerable pupils has been properly assessed
  • the figures have been squared with the council’s schools building budget
  • the council gives assurances the consultation is genuinely open

They also ask the committee to hear from headteachers, staff, parents and governors at the three schools.

The main objections

The figures. The councillors say headteachers found errors in the Cabinet report. They say vacancy figures for Bishop Stopford’s “require clarification and reconciliation”.

Suffolks’ special needs places. The call-in points out that the council consulted from 3 June to 3 July 2026 on 20 extra specialist places at Suffolks, and approved them. It lists what the school says it now runs:

  • 16 speech and language places
  • 20 Key Stage 1 autism places, which are full
  • 20 Key Stage 2 autism places that opened in September, with eight pupils so far
  • agreement in principle for 20 more Key Stage 1 autism places from September 2027

The councillors ask how the council squared that expansion with a plan to close the school.

Bishop Stopford’s exam years. The call-in says the consultation proposes closing Bishop Stopford’s in July 2027. Pupils now in Year 10 and Year 12 would then have to move school for the last year of their GCSEs or A-levels. The councillors ask why closing in July 2028, so those year groups could finish, was not set out as an option.

They also say Bishop Stopford’s has about 134 pupils with special educational needs and takes about 80 pupils a year who join mid-year.

Starks Field’s PFI contract. They note the Cabinet report itself flagged financial risk in closing Starks Field, because of private finance arrangements that run to 2029.

The Leader’s video. The call-in says a video the Leader published straight after the Cabinet meeting “appeared to present the proposals as a political achievement”. It argues that statements suggesting closure is a foregone conclusion could be used in a legal challenge to the consultation. It asks the committee to get formal advice from the council’s monitoring officer on that risk.

The council officers’ written response to these points is listed on the agenda as “to follow”. It had not been published when we checked on 27 October.

What the committee can do on 3 November

The committee’s procedure gives it three choices. (Enfield Council, call-in procedure)

Option What happens
Take no further action Cabinet’s decision can go ahead and the consultation can start
Send it back to Cabinet The decision is suspended until Cabinet confirms or changes it, within 14 working days
Refer it to full council If the council does not object, the decision takes effect straight away; if it objects, Cabinet must reconsider

At the meeting the lead councillor presents the case, then the Cabinet member and officers reply. The committee then debates and votes. A decision can only be called in once.

What it means for you

If your child is at one of the three schools, nothing has changed. No school has been closed, and the formal notices that would propose a closure were not due until spring 2027 even before the call-in. The consultation cannot start until the call-in is settled.

If you were waiting to have your say, the council’s own timetable had the consultation opening in November. That now depends on the vote on 3 November. If the committee sends the decision back or refers it on, expect the start to slip.

If you want to go, the meeting is in the Conference Room at the Civic Centre, Silver Street, EN1 3XA. The council does not list it for webcast. The agenda and papers are on the council’s meeting page.

We will report the committee’s decision after the meeting. The background, including pupil numbers at each school, is in our report on the Cabinet paper. School holidays are on our Enfield school term dates page.