Hotwells Primary School

HCCA is committed to sharing information and supporting local people in responding to the proposal. Below is the latest information we have received from Cathedral Schools Trust, information on the Save Hotwells Primary School Campaign and our initial email response to the consultation. We  update this page as things develop.

8 November 2025 update

If you would like to send a response regarding the proposal to the Department of Education please address it to

[email protected]

Comments must be submitted by email by 12 November. Any comments submitted
after this deadline may not be considered in advance of the meeting.
In your email please include:
• the school/academy name (and where this is about a ‘trust change’, please also
state the name of the recipient trust), and the local authority area of the
school/academy
• your relationship to the school/academy
• your comments on the proposal
• any alternative proposal(s) you may have
• any other comments on the school’s/academy’s future

HCCA Response to Cathedral Schools Trust Proposal 

Community Response to Proposal

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Alternative Proposal to Cathedral Schools Trust Proposed Amalgamation of Hotwells Primary School with Cathedral Primary School - Summary

Minutes from Community Led Meeting on Hotwells Primary School held 1 July

Cathedral Schools Trust (CST) Consultation Period has now been extended and there are some more opportunities to meet with them:

Email Received from CST 11 July

Thank you to all those who have responded to the amalgamation consultation - we have appreciated you taking the time to share your views. It has been extremely helpful to listen and reflect on the comments and concerns raised and we appreciate your input into this process. 

There have been a number of questions and concerns raised to date and as a result we have revised the details within the proposal as follows:

 

  • Revised transition arrangements - please see the consultation information version 2 for further details.

  • Revised admission arrangements - to remove the proposal to vary the admission arrangements for Bristol Cathedral Choir School for the academic year 2026/27. These will continue as currently and there will be no change in the order of feeder school and sibling status. In addition, the proposal is to vary the admission arrangements for Cathedral Primary School in light of feedback to include up to 20% of places on distance with the remainder allocated by random allocation. Distance is now measured to Hotwells Primary School site rather than a nodal point between the two sites.

 

For further information, please see an updated version of the Consultation Information version 2  and revised FAQs.

For information only the previous version of the consultation document is here. 

We continue to want to hear from all those with an interest and we appreciate that the revised proposal may still raise questions or concerns. We would like to meet you in person so that we can take the time to talk to you and there are drop-in events on the following dates:

Tuesday 15th July, 3 - 6pm (Cathedral Primary School)

Thursday 11th September, 3 - 6pm (Hotwells)

Tuesday 16th September, 5 - 8 pm (Cathedral Primary School)

If you would like to attend one of these events, please click here to book a place. You are welcome to attend any venue.

How to respond

We encourage you to participate and share your thoughts. Please let us know your views and comments on the revised proposal by emailing [email protected]

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If you would like to find out more information about the Campaign you can do so here

https://savehotwellsprimary.org/ 

 

Email from CST Consultation - 23 June

Many thanks to those who have attended the consultation events about the proposed amalgamation of Hotwells Primary School and Cathedral Primary Schools and have provided feedback so far on the consultation. 

 

It has been extremely helpful to listen and reflect on the comments and concerns raised and we appreciate your input into this process. 

 

As a result of your feedback, Trustees have agreed to extend the consultation period until Friday 8th August 2025. In the meantime we are looking at ways to revise the proposal and further detail about this will be circulated as soon as possible. We will, of course, ensure that there are additional opportunities to discuss the revised proposal and will confirm arrangements for this in due course.

Best wishes,

The CST Team

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HCCA Chair's Response to Chair of Trustees - sent 13 June after public meeting.

Dear Sir David,

I am writing to you to express our community's concern and dismay over the proposals regarding Hotwells Primary School. I attended one of the public consultation events yesterday and it was clear at the event that there was a lot of confusion, anxiety and anger felt by both parents and the wider community.
As you are no doubt aware, Hotwells Primary School has been at the heart of the local community since it started. In the time that I have lived in the area (over 20 years), it has provided a unique and nurturing educational experience for so many, and been at the heart of our community.
At this point I would like to ask for two things on behalf of the community:
1) We would like to understand better how the Trust has reached its current decision. We understand there were other proposals discussed. It would be useful to know more details about them and why they did not work for you.
Please can you send me details. I'm happy to share them with others in our community.
2) The consultation period appears to have  come very late in the process and is too short.  Many expressed the view that the Trust had not done enough to let community stakeholders know what was happening. For example, I only heard about this two days ago. I urge you to extend the consultation period by a month. I think this would give us more time to understand your thinking and consider our options. It would also demonstrate a willingness to listen, which was not very evident at the meeting last night.
If you were to extend the consultation period we could also support you in reaching more members of the community via our newsletter and a slot at our AGM on 9 July, and, potentially a community meeting.
I look forward to your reply.
With Best Wishes
Rachel

 

Hotwells & Cliftonwood Community Association (HCCA) is registered charity and company limited by guarantee in England and Wales. Charity No 1044943, Company No 02915523.  We are managed by a committee including trustees and others who are elected annually at our AGM by members of our community.

If you have any comments or ideas, please contact us at: [email protected]

Address: Hotwells & Cliftonwood Community Association, Jacobs Wells Baths, Jacobs Wells Road Bristol BS8 1DX
Telephone: 07351 426910 (voicemails are checked once a week).
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