Recommendation to close 2 of the city’s primary schools
Recommendations to close 2 single form entry primary schools in the city at the end of this school year will be discussed at the Children, Families and Schools Committee on 29 February.
The final decision on the proposals will be made by councillors at the Special Full Council on 4 March 2024.
The reports follow the end of the 4 week representation period following the publication of Statutory Notices in respect of the proposed closure of St Bartholomew’s Church of England Primary School in central Brighton, and St Peter’s Community Primary and Nursery School in Portslade.
When proposing to close a school, councils are required to follow processes set out in legislation and Statutory Guidance issued by the Department for Education.
The representation period closed at 5pm on Tuesday 20 February. This marks the final stage of the statutory engagement process required when proposing to close schools.
The council acknowledges that the majority of people who fed back throughout the engagement processes disagreed with the proposals to close the schools.
Action to address impact of falling pupil numbers
The proposals to close the schools are part of the measures to address the impact of falling pupil numbers in the city – alongside reductions to the number of pupils joining reception years in 6 primary schools agreed in January.
The council has a statutory duty to ensure there are a sufficient number of school places for pupils and that places are planned effectively.
In fulfilling this duty, we have to take account of the fall in pupil numbers overall across the city and the fact that they are forecast to continue to fall over the next few years. The need to address this and the associated viability of schools, is central to these proposals.
More than a fifth of primary school places in the city are currently empty. The implications of excess school places for the funding of schools is stark, impacting the education that schools running deficits can provide. It also impacts wider council services to support large deficits in schools.
Reducing the number of school places is required to ensure future standards of the wider education offer in the city.
St Bartholomew’s Church of England Primary School and St Peter’s Community Primary and Nursery School are the 2 primary schools with the lowest number of pupils in the city.
If the proposed school closures go ahead, the total number of reception year primary school places in the city will reduce from the current 2,610 to 2,550 in the 24/25 academic year, and 2,370 in 25/26.
Forecasts show there’s likely to be 1,970 reception year children requiring a school place in 2025, 1953 in 2026 and 1,787 in 2027.
Ensuring quality of education across the city
Councillor Jacob Taylor, co-chair of the council’s Children, Families and School’s Committee, said: “We’ve heard throughout this process of the passion felt for both schools.
“We do understand these are upsetting decisions for our school communities and recognise the impact these proposals have upon the children, families and dedicated staff at the schools. These are tough choices and we are sorry the schools are in this position.
“However, reducing the number of empty school places is the right thing to do.
“With more than a fifth of primary school places currently empty, more and more of our schools are finding themselves in extreme financial difficulty, without the resources needed to provide the support to children they would want to.
“St Bart’s and St Peter’s are the 2 primary schools with the lowest numbers of pupils in the city and forecasts show pupil numbers will continue to fall.
“This is taking place against a backdrop of constrained and pressurised resources for funding not just of schools, but of all council services across all communities in our city.
“As a responsible council, we need to act now to secure the long-term future of the city’s schools.
“We will continue to work very closely with headteachers and governing boards to manage the process.
“Our priority now is to continue supporting the children affected to move to new schools, and keep the impact on them, their families and the wider school community to an absolute minimum.
“We will also keep exploring options for setting up alternative nursery provision in Portslade.”
Reduction in reception places from September 2025
The decision to reduce admission numbers at 6 of the city’s primary schools was agreed at the Children, Families and Schools Committee on 22 January.
From September 2025, reception year places will be reduced at:
- Brunswick Primary School (reduced by 30 places)
- Goldstone Primary School (30 places)
- Patcham Infant School (30 places)
- Saltdean Primary School (30 places)
- Stanford Infant School (30 places)
- St Luke’s Primary School (30 places)
