A HEADTEACHER has defended his school after Greenwich Council threatened it with closure.

Blackheath Bluecoat in Old Dover Road could be shut in August 2013 under proposals being considered at a council cabinet meeting next week.

The cabinet report points to falling pupil numbers and a financial deficit of £1.184m, expected to grow to £1.521m in the coming year.

Officers write: “Although the school’s performance has improved, this has not been translated into an improvement in the perceptions of the school in the wider community or the pattern of recruitment.

“On current trends, there is no sign that the school’s position is likely to improve substantially in the foreseeable future.”

Under the plans, the school’s 631 pupils would be distributed elsewhere in the borough and beyond, with council officers claiming there are enough vacancies.

Executive headteacher Jeffrey Risbridger said the news had hit staff and governors “very hard”.

He pointed to this year’s record GCSE results and last year’s satisfactory Ofsted report, claiming it showed Bluecoat was an improving school.

Mr Risbridger said: “Whilst the governing body accepts the council’s argument that the current low pupil numbers are a cause for concern in terms of financial viability, the council’s own enrolment figures show that there are currently 838 spare secondary school places in Greenwich spread across a number of schools.

“It would seem that the council’s aim is to reduce this surplus by focusing it on one school and then closing it.

“We find it hard to see why this should be Blackheath Bluecoat School. This is the only Church of England secondary school in the borough and enormous progress has been made in raising academic standards.”

Greenwich faces increased demand for secondary school places in coming years, but officers say this could still be met by a new University Technical College, use of the Greenwich Peninsula site and an extra year group at Thomas Tallis.

If the cabinet agrees the proposals there will be a consultation with staff, parents, governors and other schools before any final notice.