Proposals to change school admission arrangements for September 2026 are due to go before Brighton and Hove City Council cabinet members next month.
The proposed changes have not yet been published but the cabinet forward plan said that members would be asked to approve a public consultation.
The consultation is expected to include proposals to reduce the published admission number – also known as the PAN – at primary and secondary schools.
Since 2019, the council has been trying to reduce the number of surplus reception class places at primary schools as the number of children living in Brighton and Hove continues to fall.
From September 2026, the drop in primary school pupil numbers is forecast to start affecting the secondary schools.
The council is currently carrying out a public engagement exercise which closes tomorrow (Wednesday 23 October).
It has received more than 2,400 “interactions” but the council website has stopped showing the number of completed responses.
Parents have started a petition on the council website entitled “Flawed and rushed consultation on school boundaries for Brighton and Hove”. It has attracted 348 signatures
More than 1,500 people have signed a second petition, entitled “Halt the current consultation into school admission boundaries” on the Change.org website. It calls on the council to drop the options outlined in the public engagement.
The campaign group Class Divide has urged its supporters to complete the survey because the group wants more options for children living in east Brighton and less economic and social segregation at secondary level.
So far, the council’s only recent change to secondary school admissions was introduced for September next year to give greater priority to children receiving free school meals
At secondary level, the public engagement indicated that published admission numbers would be cut at five “maintained” schools – Blatchington Mill, Dorothy Stringer, Longhill, Patcham High and Varndean – and catchments could change.
Councillors are also expected to consider how to tackle the forecast number of spare places in primary school reception classes in September 2026.
Earlier this year, councillors voted to close the two smallest schools in Brighton and Hove – St Peter’s Community School, in Portslade, and St Bartholomew’s Church of England Primary School in Brighton.
St Peter’ shut in the summer and St Bart’s is due to close at Christmas.
In January this year, councillors agreed to cut the PAN for reception classes by 30 at Brunswick, Goldstone, St Luke’s and Saltdean primary schools and Stanford and Patcham infant schools.
Goldstone, St Luke’s and Patcham appealed against the decision and the Office of the Schools Adjudicator upheld their appeals so they will retain three forms of entry – or a PAN of 90 children.
The falling number of under-fives was also reflected in the 2021 census, with 21 per cent fewer children aged four and under compared with 2011.
The drop has affected school finances because funding is based on pupil numbers. Some 34 schools are predicted to be in the red to a combined total of more than £7 million this year.
The cabinet is due to meet on Thursday 14 November. The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.
One misstep after the other. The move to cabinet shifted all attention on their inadequacy. They should revert back to committees. But, I fear it is too late. Labour will loose over all control of the council again.
It’s more than a misstep really, the council has ballsed things up.
It’s a shame as Class Divide make some really important points and there is an underlying issue that needs to be addressed. The way the council has gone about things though runs the risk of screwing over children who have additional needs (but not an EHCP). The council haven’t yet been able to answer questions that offer reassurance that this group on children won’t be negatively impacted, and it’s mad that the council didn’t consider this at the outset.
The underlying issues are very important, otherwise it is just symptomatic relief, I completely agree. With school places not being filled due to lower birth rates and a lack of family homes, I’m wondering if the long-term solution is more importantly housing.
I also wonder if the illusion of choice is actually that important, and rather would it be better to get a good standard of school throughout Brighton, then pushing a socioeconomic mix, which does bring up low performer average, but does nothing to allow high performers to excel. (Pardon the pun).
This has nothing to do with the cabinet structure. There would be very little difference in this process.
It is completely wrong to change the catchment areas to try and reduce the attainment gap, this will just lead to children being bused from one area to another, increasing traffic and pollution.
No, it won’t John. Most of the bus services required already exist.
Agreed. Makes no sense. And the time the children waste travelling could be used to play with friends, do homework, have more family time, and feel less unconnected to many other kids in the school.
To be fair to Labour this is a decision that has been delayed for years and now can be delayed no longer. It has been known since at least 2019 that there was a fall incomng to Primary and Secondaty numbers and that the current PAN was simply unrealistic. Quite simply schools only get central government funds for pupils in the schools and with the continued drop off something will have to give.
Indeed these decisions have been delayed and delayed and it’s very much a plague on all councillors of all parties.
The Schools Adjudicator basically said that in one of it’s findings about the closure of one school so it’s good the council are biting the bullets on this. I hope the Greens and Tories accept their role in badly managing the process in the past.
The problem is there is a huge number of surplus spaces (way in excess of the 10% the Government allows) and that needs to be dealth with in order to allow the remaing schools to spend resources on pupils and not having to maintain empty classrooms.
Whatever the recommendations it’s likely very few people will be satisfied with the results – especially at primary school level – but hopefully there will be a clear rational and strategy for dealign with this thorny problem and puts schools on a firm footing.
And schools have to play their part too. I thought it stupid and unprofessional when heads walked out of a meeting that was trying to get them to work together with the council to sort this issue out. There is still very much a mentality of ‘saving our school and hang the rest of you’ that has to end.