More children were given places at their first choice of primary school this year as pupil numbers in the city continue to fall.
This year, there were 2,224 applications for a total of 2,670 places, meaning that while almost 95% of families got their first choice, most schools in the city have not been able to fill all their places.
As schools are funded on a per-pupil basis, this means budgets will be stretched even further.
These schools include all those who successfully objected to their planned admission numbers – or PANS – being reduced last year – Bevendean, Carden, Coldean, Queen’s Park, Rudyard Kipling, Saltdean and Woodingdean.
With 31 and 27 children respectively due to start in September, Bevendean and Carden primary schools will effectively be reduced to a one-class intake by default.
However, Queen’s Park and Coldean primary school, which both have 35 children due to start, face being forced to run two small classes with not much more funding than they would have for one full class.
Meanwhile, some schools with a single-class intake have seen allocations fall to dangerously low levels, including , St Bartholomew’s (14), St Mark’s (14), St Peter’s (11) and Moulsecoomb (10).
Faith schools and schools in Brighton suburbs popular with students – and therefore HMO landlords – have born much of the brunt of falling applications in recent years as families become priced out of the city.
Brighton and Hove City Council says it hopes to persuade some of the larger schools in the west of the city to reduce their reception intakes.
Downs Infant School this year agreed to reduce its intake from 120 to 90 from next September. It has offered 116 places for this September.
None of the other three or four-form schools have so far volunteered to cut numbers. Two, St Luke’s and Stanford, are now slightly undersubscribed for the first time in many years.
However, the number of total applications this year – 2,224 – is more than the council’s forecast of 2,107.
At the beginning of this year, its forecast for next September’s allocations was 2,107, which would leave 593 places unfilled if no more classes are cut.
|
2023 |
2022 |
|
|
First preferences |
2,103 pupils or 94.5% |
2,198 pupils or 93.8% |
|
Second preferences |
97 pupils or 4.3% |
102 pupils or 4.35% |
|
Third preferences |
16 pupils or 0.7% |
22 pupils or 0.94% |
|
Directions |
8 pupils or 0.4% |
21 pupils or 0.89% |
|
Total applications |
2224 |
2343 |
I believe this is further evidence showing the impact of non-primary residency. Our council, however that looks after the elections, will need to develop a robust housing strategy that priorities homes that are affordable and are accessible to regular people without special circumstance.