A primary school has agreed to reduce its reception class intake in September because pupil numbers in the area are falling.
Woodingdean Primary School governors backed a proposal by Brighton and Hove City Council to reduce the intake from 60 pupils to 30 for the 2026-27 school year.
The Office of the Schools Adjudicator has approved the proposed change. The decision, by adjudicator Jackie Liu, was published on Monday (5 January).
The local authority maintained school, in Warren Road, Woodingdean, is due to join the Eko Trust, which already runs two schools in Brighton and Hove, at the start of next month.
The council said that there were fewer than predicted admissions at Woodingdean Primary School at the start of the current school year in September.
The school had a published admission number (PAN) – or intake – of 60 but just 26 families made the school their first choice. In the end, 35 places were offered to children.
The outlook is expected to worsen, with forecasts indicating that 165 children are expected to start primary school in The Deans “primary schools planning area” in September.
Without any changes, the five primary schools in the area would have 225 places available, and 60 – or more than a quarter – would be vacant.
This would adversely affect school budgets, with funding based primarily on pupil numbers.
The school told the adjudicator that it was currently in the black financially but running two reception classes for just 35 pupils was putting pressure on its budget.
In his “determination”, Mr Liu said: “If the proposed variation is not approved, the school would be obliged to offer a Year R place up to the existing PAN of 60 for any applicant in 2026-27.
“If just over 30 children were to be admitted to the school, then the school could have to arrange its classes to meet the requirements of the infant class sizes regulations and this would require a substantial cost to employ an additional teacher unless some mixed-class teaching is adopted.”
Mr Liu said that he was satisfied that there would be enough places for all children in the area to secure a reception class place.
In part, this was because Rudyard Kipling Primary School, in Chalkland Rise, Woodingdean, was increasing its intake to 45 for the start of the next school year in September.
In the current school year, starting last September, Rudyard Kipling was oversubscribed, with 36 families putting the school down as their first choice when 30 places were available.
Woodingdean Primary School said today: “We are a popular successful school but the falling birth rate across Brighton and Hove means there are fewer pupils needing school places. This is in common with most parts of the country at the moment.
“As a result, the governing body, together with the local authority, decided to temporarily change our reception intake to 30 pupils for September 2026.
“This change will ensure staffing levels continue to match the number of pupils attending our school, that we continue to provide excellent teaching and resources and that we maintain our high standards of education and care which is our number one priority.”
In 2021, the community rallied behind the two Woodingdean primary schools when the council proposed reducing their intakes from 60 to 30 from September 2023 because pupil numbers were forecast to fall.
Such was the strength of feeling when reductions were proposed for September 2023 at seven Brighton schools – Bevendean, Carden, Coldean, Queen’s Park, Rudyard Kipling, Saltdean and Woodingdean – that the council abandoned its plans.
As forecast, primary school pupil numbers have been falling across Brighton and Hove since 2019, resulting in three primary schools closing and smaller intakes at some of the bigger schools.
For the current school year, 12 of the 45 primary and infant schools in Brighton and Hove were oversubscribed on first choice reception year preferences.
Further evidence of falling pupil numbers came with the 2021 census which showed that there were 22 per cent fewer under-fives living in Brighton and Hove compared with the previous census in 2011.
Rising rents and housing costs make it increasingly difficult for young families to live in the city and suburbs. Alongside falling birthday rates this was inevitable.
You are absolutely correct, and we’re seeing this across the country, and even globally. And then the knock on affect of fewer children ultimately affects those who will rely on pensions, and on how we as a society support adult social care in the future.
It’s a symptom of a much larger issue of affordability, and a symptom that is deep-seated, not easy to reverse, and will take a long time to see the benefit of any changes to correct.