Places could be cut at three schools in Brighton and Hove

The schools are Downs Infants and Hertford Infants in Brighton and Hove Juniors.

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

The meetings will form part of the public consultation due to start next week.

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

Downs Infant School, in Ditchling Road, Brighton, could be impacted

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.

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

He told the children, young people and skills committee this would be an increase on the 620 unfilled places in September 2024.

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

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

• READ MORE: Admission numbers could be cut at three schools under council plans

Green councillor Sarah Nield said 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.”

Pupil numbers could be reduced at Hove Junior School

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

Cllr 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.”

Hertford Infant and Nursery is one of the schools included in the plans

He said 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.

Mr Barker said 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.

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

The consultation – on the council’s website – is due to start on Monday.