Hove primary school cuts number of classes for final year

A chair of governors has written to parents after a Hove school cut the number of classes in the final year.

Brunswick Primary School, in Somerhill Road, usually has four classes in each year group but does not have enough pupils to fill the 128 places for the Year 6 class in September.

With a year group of 100 children, some parents are concerned that their children will be in one of three classes of more than 30 pupils.

The chair of governors, Claire Roberts, has written to parents to explain why the four current Year 5 classes will become three in Year 6.

She said that the school would have a deficit budget without the change – and Brighton and Hove City Council has urged schools to reduce their projected budget deficits by 10 per cent.

She said: “The decision governors have taken has not been taken lightly. The quality of educational provision at Brunswick is always paramount in decision-making.

“But, as many of your emails acknowledge, schools nationally are challenged by reducing budgets. The increasing costs faced by all schools, around heating, curriculum resources, insurance, etc, must be funded from this pressured budget too.

“With this in mind, governors viewed there was little option than to sign off a deficit budget.

“However, the local authority indicated it was not able to licence this and has asked us to reduce this deficit. This means we need to make difficult decisions.

“Due to a reduction in pupil numbers across the city, there are only 100 children in the current Year 5. Historically, our Key Stage 2 year groups have been full at 128 pupils across four classes.

“Although we understand that parents would always prefer smaller classes if presented with a choice, local authority finance officers have advised it is not viable to run a class with fewer than 28 pupils.

“We recognise that staff will be teaching a greater number of pupils, contributing to a greater workload. Their ability to undertake this, in addition to their wellbeing, will be regularly reviewed during phase meetings.

“Unlike early years (Reception) and Key Stage 1 (Year 1 and Year 2) where statutorily class sizes are limited to 30 pupils (unless there are exceptional circumstances where the local authority determines we should exceed this number), class sizes in Key Stage 2 (Years 3 to 6) have no upper limit in law.

“Through our partnership working with local city schools, we are aware of a number of city schools that have class sizes exceeding 30 in Key Stage 2.

“As a large school, we are lucky to possess a highly skilled and motivated workforce and will always look for ways of using this team to deal with any pressures if they arise.

“The reduction in the number of classes will not affect the curriculum offer. Brunswick has planned a lively and engaging curriculum with enrichment through trips, local visits and visitors. This will not change.

“Similarly, the reduction in the number of classes will not affect the educational offer. Children identified as in need of additional support and intervention will continue to be supported through carefully planned and targeted provision.

“However, we will keep this under close review and continue to look to the wider staff team in terms of placing resources where they are needed most.

“From this September, governors have supported the implementation of a new leadership structure across the school with assistant head teachers leading two-year groups to ensure more focused oversight and greater opportunities to support teachers.

“This structure delivers on some savings while building on the work Mrs Thompson (head teacher) has led since she joined us.

“We would not have chosen to be in this position. You will all be aware of the current industrial action by the National Education Union. This is in response to the financial pressure on schools and how teachers are demonstrating their concerns to national government.

“All the other main education unions are currently balloting on industrial action for the autumn term. This is likely to lead to more and wider spread industrial action.

“So, what can you do as parents to support the school? We are fortunate to have such a supportive school community. However, this letter will hopefully have gone some way to explaining the decision that governors have had to make to go to three classes in Year 6.

“My recommendation would also be for our community to lobby our MP about school budgets and local councillors around the local authority’s strategy for the continued falling pupil roll across the city.”

Brunswick’s head teacher Susan Thompson was one of 40 primary, infant and junior school heads to write to the council in protest at the request to cut their budget deficits by 10 per cent.

A Year 5 mother said: “I support the hard work that teachers do and their right to strike but feel that this is going to undermine their ability to differentiate according to need so that students with additional needs or those who need more of a challenge will not get the attention they need.

“Teachers will have the additional workload and ultimately this is likely to lead to increased work pressure, stress and burnout, with the potential for staff sickness.

“Year 6 is really important in terms of transition and I’m disappointed that the school has made this decision, especially with letting us know so late in the year.”

The school has also reduced its Reception year intake from 120 to 90 for September 2024 in line with a predicted fall in admissions across Brighton and Hove.

Brunswick is the biggest state primary in the city and successfully appealed against having its admissions cut for last September. But it has accepted just 87 pupils to start in reception in the coming September.

The council has published projected figures forecasting 2,107 applications for school admissions in September next year, leaving 593 places unfilled across Brighton and Hove.

Unless schools reduce their published admission numbers (PANs), the council has said that the number of surplus places could rise to 692 by September 2026.