Nine schools face having their admission numbers cut because a quarter of reception class places across Brighton and Hove look likely to remain unfilled within two years.
Councillors agreed to start a public consultation on reducing intakes after learning that fewer than 2,000 children were expected to start school in 2025 and 2026.
Brighton and Hove City Council’s Children, Families and Schools Committee heard that the forecast excess of 651 places in 2025 and 662 in 2026 would affect school funding.
At a meeting at Hove Town Hall yesterday (Monday 6 November), the committee was told that the only criterion for selecting the schools to reduce their published admission number (PAN) was having at least two forms of entry.
Several of the schools in line for the cuts have previously fought similar proposals and could take their case to the schools adjudicator if they oppose the latest plans.
The proposals would cut a total of 300 reception places at seven primary schools – Brunswick, Goldstone, Rudyard Kipling, Queen’s Park, Stanford, St Luke’s and Woodingdean – and two infant schools – Patcham and Stanford.
Labour councillor Jacob Taylor, who co-chairs the Children, Families and Schools Committee, said that if schools agreed to reduce admissions, the council would not have to close more smaller schools.
At the same meeting, councillors agreed to start a public consultation on a proposal to close two primary schools – St Bartholomew’s, in Brighton, and St Peter’s, in Portslade.
Councillor Taylor said: “I understand parents at schools might think, ‘This is a popular school. Why are PANs being reduced?’
“We need to be able to do that to achieve the goals to reduce the emptiness of our schools and increase the funding.
“I would ask head teachers, governors and parents to really think about that as we go through these consultations. We’re trying to do what’s best for the entire city with the proposals we take forward.”
Green councillor Sue Shanks asked about the implications for Patcham Junior School if its main feeder, Patcham Infant School, had fewer pupils.
Head of schools organisation Richard Barker said that a reduction would affect the junior school three years later if the infant dropped to two-form entry. And that would also require consultation.
Labour councillor Jacob Allen asked about the effects if admissions to Rudyard Kipling and Woodingdean were reduced. He was concerned that children from his Woodingdean ward would not be offered a primary place elsewhere.
Mr Barker said that the proposed remaining 90 reception places across the two Woodingdean schools would be enough for children living locally.
The proposals going out to public consultation are as follows.
- Brunswick Primary School is being asked to go from 120 places to 90. It offered places to 79 pupils this year.
- Goldstone Primary School is being asked to go from 90 to 60. It offered places to 90 pupils this year.
- Patcham Infant School is being asked to go from 90 places to 60. It offered places to 78 pupils this year.
- Queen’s Park Primary School is being asked to go from 60 places to 30. It offered places to 35 pupils this year.
- Rudyard Kipling Primary School is being asked to go from 60 to 45 places. It offered places to 40 pupils this year.
- St Luke’s Primary School is being asked to go from 90 places to 60. It offered places to 87 pupils this year.
- Saltdean Primary School is being asked to go from 90 places to 60. It offered places to 72 pupils this year.
- Stanford Infant School is being asked to go from 90 places to 60. It offered places to 68 pupils this year.
- Woodingdean Primary School is being asked to go from 60 to 45 places. It offered places to 43 pupils this year.
The consultation is due to end on Friday 22 December, with councillors scheduled to discuss the results at a Children, Families and Schools Committee meeting on Monday 8 January.
These seems rather weird to cut school places, when babies are still being born and will need schooling, and while illegals are still landing on our shores they will need schooling if to become resident in this country….. does those with this wild dream plan to limit how many children a family in the areas can have? Amazing, so then teachers will not be needed, thus cutting the number at each school also? I think this subject should be reviewed, with parents present……. Most schools are overcrowded, so if numbers are cut, where do the kids kicked out due to this plan attend school?
The expectation is that there won’t be enough children to support the teachers under the current funding arrangements.
To put it another way, schools are overcrowded because they’re funded for approx 1 teacher per 30-35 kids. Even if you plonk 1000 extra kids in the school it’ll never accrue enough staff to be less crowded, and if you cut half the kids out then half the staff go with.
The kids kicked out of schools by this scheme go to make up the numbers in other nearby schools until everyone is right on that ratio of kids to teachers. Does that mean some people get very unpleasant journeys in the morning? Yes. Does it save money in the long run? Probably not. Does it keep schools within the budgetary box we’ve decided on at the national level? Just about.