Three schools in line to cut pupil intake

Three schools could offer fewer places to children in Brighton and Hove if a council plan wins public support.

The schools are Downs Infant School and Hertford Infant School, in Brighton, and Hove Junior School, in Holland Road, Hove.

Parents will have a chance to hear from councillors and council officials at consultation meetings about the need to reduce the number of places at the schools.

The meetings will form part of the public consultation that is due to start next Monday (14 November).

Governors at the two infant schools have already given their backing to the proposal to reduce the published admission number – known as the PAN – by one form of entry, or one class, each.

The proposed reduction at Hove Junior School – also by one class – reflected pupil numbers coming up from the linked West Hove Infant School.

The wider shortfall in pupil numbers is significant and increasing, councillors were told at a meeting at Hove Town Hall on Monday (7 November).

Richard Barker, head of schools organisation at Brighton and Hove City Council, said that there would be 770 spare places in primary schools at the start of the school year in 2025.

Mr Barker told the council’s Children, Young People and Skills Committee that this would be an increase on the 620 unfilled places in September 2024.

He said that the meeting at Hertford Infant School would be a chance to canvass views on a more fundamental change.

Hertford Infant School and Hertford Junior School could in the future merge to become a single-site primary school with one form of entry.

Green councillor Sarah Nield said that previous school places forecasts were 97 per cent accurate – but the consultation was about more than that because schools were loved and part of their community.

She said: “This current round of proposals has come from the schools as they start to react to the reality of falling pupil numbers and plan for the future.

“Our role is to be supportive of schools in this round to try to find solutions and work together with them across the city.

“I know we’re having positive conversations with many schools about the way forward – and that we’re committed to listening to the consultations as well as looking carefully at the data.”

Labour councillor Les Hamilton, a retired maths teacher, said that he was concerned that excess reception classes would result in an even worse position in 2026 and 2027. He said that spare spaces were “uneconomic”.

Councillor Hamilton said: “What is the answer to this? As far as I can understand it, there are only two things you can do. You can either close a school or try to get them to reduce the PAN.

“I know we’ve had a decision not to close any schools – and I support that. If we did close any, it could be some way away from the next school and it would lose the community sense and involve more travel.”

Councillor Hamilton said that the council should put more pressure on three-form entry schools that had, say, 58 pupils coming in but still wanted a PAN of 90.

Green councillor Zoe John said that the city did not want to lose its smaller schools in outlying areas.

She said: “I hope that other larger schools take heed of what has happened and engage with the conversation.”

Mr Barker said that the council was talking with the bigger schools about how they could contribute to reducing excess places and had provided maps and forecasts for future years.

Conservative councillor Anne Meadows asked why secondary school catchment areas were not yet under review.

Mr Barker said that the council had started talking with secondary schools but had a longer lead-in time which was not available to primary schools.

He said: “This matter will become an issue we need to address, with the additional complexity of having catchment areas for secondary schools in the city and the location of the secondary schools.

“We are beginning to have those conversations with all of our secondary schools about the implications for them when this lower number of children start to travel through to the secondary schools.

“We are aware of the need to ensure everyone has a local school and how we deliver that.”

Consultation meetings are due to take place in person at Downs Infant School, in Ditchling Road, on Wednesday 23 November from 6pm to 8pm and at Hertford Infant School, in Hertford Road, on Wednesday 30 November from 6pm to 8pm.

The consultation – on the council’s website – is due to start on Monday (14 November).