Brighton & Hove City Council
Education Service
Hove Town Hall
Norton Road
Hove
BN3 3BQ
Stanford Infant School
Highcroft Villas
Brighton
BN1 5PS
Stanford Junior School
Stanford Road
Brighton
BN1 5PR
Neither school has religious character.
In accordance with the Education and Inspections Act 2006 (“the Act”) as amended, it is proposed by Brighton & Hove City Council, Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, Hove, BN3 3BG to make prescribed alterations to both Stanford Infant and Stanford Junior Schools.
The first proposal made by Brighton & Hove City Council is to close Stanford Junior School from 1 September 2026.
This proposal is linked to a further proposal to change the age range of Stanford Infant School from 4-7 years of age to 4-11 years of age on the same date.
These two proposals together will create an all through primary school operating across both existing sites with effect from 1st September 2026.
As these are linked proposals, we will either implement both proposals or neither proposal. There will not be an instance where one proposal would be implemented on its own.
Brighton & Hove is experiencing declining school enrolment across the city, which has created significant challenges for primary schools. School funding is directly linked to pupil numbers rather than providing a set amount of funding per school. This, combined with pay rises without equivalent funding increases to schools, has resulted in increasing budgetary pressures for both Stanford Infant School and Stanford Junior School.
Both schools face structural budget deficits that are not sustainable. Stanford Infant School’s Published Admission Number (“PAN”) has been reduced from 90 to 60 from September 2025, and this reduction in pupil numbers will further impact both schools in the coming years.
The two schools operate independently with separate staff, sites and headteachers. At present, families must apply for a place at the Junior School when their child finishes Year 2, which creates uncertainty. Although approximately 90% of children move from the infant school to the junior school, the current system doesn’t guarantee a place, which can be stressful for families.
The alterations will provide:
It is recognised that there are benefits to having separate infant and junior schools. For example, teachers and support staff can develop strong specialist expertise in relation to the particular age range. They can focus on creating a particular environment which meets the needs of either infant or junior age children. Specialist leadership can be developed which focuses on bringing the best characteristics of infant and junior schools. For some children, a new start at 7+ may be beneficial.
However, this proposal is being considered now for reasons provided above in relation to the reduction of pupil numbers across the city, and increasing financial pressures on schools.
The legal process for achieving a single primary school in this situation requires that one school must formally close and the other must extend its age range to create the new all through primary school. However, this should in no way be seen as a “takeover” of one school by the other. It is the technical means by which a single primary school would be achieved and both schools would work together as equal partners in bringing it about.
Both Stanford Infant School and Stanford Junior School were judged to be “Good” by Ofsted in their most recent inspections in March 2022 and March 2024 respectively. It is expected that the strengths of both schools will ensure that the single primary school will be successful.
It is intended to implement the two proposals on 1st September 2026. The new all-through primary school will operate across both existing sites, with one headteacher, one Senior Leadership Team, and one Governing Body.
Affected pupils: All pupils currently attending either Stanford Infant School or Stanford Junior School will continue their education at the single school. The alterations will create a seamless education journey from Reception to Year 6, eliminating the need for families to apply for a place at the junior school when their child finishes Year 2.
Stanford Infant School is a community infant school serving children in Reception to Year 2.
Stanford Junior School is a community junior school serving children in Years 3 to 6.
It is expected that Stanford Infant School will change its name to reflect the change in status, this will be considered by the Governing Body.
Both Stanford Infant and Junior Schools are mainstream schools. There is no specific existing additional provision reserved for pupils with special educational needs and none is intended as a result of this proposal. Both schools currently provide support for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. The merged school will maintain and enhance this provision, with consistent support available across the full primary age range from Reception to Year 6. Children with SEND and other additional needs will benefit from greater continuity of support throughout their primary education.
No pupils will be displaced as a result of this proposal. All current students at both schools will continue their education at the single all-through primary school across the two existing sites.
The alterations will create a unified staff team working across both sites under one leadership structure. This will provide:
Staff have and will be consulted throughout the process, and appropriate HR processes will be followed in accordance with local authority and school policies.
There will be no adverse impact on the community. The alterations will create a stronger, more unified single school community. The benefits of this include:
The alterations will not affect travel arrangements as both sites will continue to be used. Children will continue to attend the same sites as under the current arrangement, with infant aged children (4-7 years old) at the Highcroft Villas site and junior aged children (7-11 year olds) at the Stanford Road site.
The alterations are not expected to have significant impacts on other schools in the area. The merged school will maintain the same total capacity across both sites and will continue to serve the same local community.
The consultation referred to below included all schools local to Stanford Infant and Junior Schools. The consultation was brought to the attention of all schools in the city by using the Schools Bulletin. There have been no representations received from other schools to this proposal.
A comprehensive 6 week consultation was conducted from 29 September to 16 November 2025, which included:
A consultation document was prepared and issued on 29 September 2025. It was published online on the Council’s website ((1) Project: Stanford Infant and Junior Schools merger proposal | Brighton & Hove City Council and was circulated to the parents, staff and governors of Stanford Infant and Junior Schools and to headteachers of nearby schools. The proposal gave details of how comments could be made and the closing date of the consultation, 16 November 2025. The duration of this period of consultation was 6 weeks which included the October half-term period.
The public meeting presentation, minutes of all the public meetings and FAQ document were uploaded to Your Voice and can be accessed on this link: (1) Project: Stanford Infant and Junior Schools merger proposal | Brighton & Hove City Council
Total responses: 224 survey responses, plus 11 email submissions, which included a collective response from the staff at Stanford Infant School and a joint Governing Board statement from Stanford Infant and Stanford Junior Governors.
The Governing Bodies of both schools, having carefully considered evidence including input from staff, leadership, parents/carers, pupils and the community, support the proposal to create an all-through primary school. Brighton & Hove City Council recognises that this offers the best long-term solution for maintaining educational quality while achieving financial sustainability, and their decision was to proceed with the publication of a statutory notice and full proposal for the closure of Stanford Junior School and the change of age range at Stanford Infant School from 4-7 years to 4-11 years, creating a single all-through primary school on two sites from 1st September 2026.
Brighton & Hove City Council and both school Governing Bodies are committed to:
Both sites will continue to be used by the all-through primary school.
Brighton & Hove City Council will publish the statutory notice for this proposal on Monday 24 November 2025. The notice will remain in force for a period of 4 weeks (until Sunday 21 December 2025). A copy of the statutory notice is attached at Appendix 1 to this document. Attached at Appendix 2 is a list of the locations where the notice is posted.
On 24 November 2025 the full proposal information (this document plus appendices) will be sent to the following recipients:
It will also be published on Brighton & Hove City Council’s website, and both school websites:
Any person may request a copy of the full proposal information either by writing to Richard Barker, Head of Education, Brighton and Hove City Council, Education Service, Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, BN3 3BQ or via email at educationandlearning@brighton-hove.gov.uk.
Any person may object or make a representation or comment on the proposal either by:
Following the closing date for representations, comments and objections, a report will be prepared for the Cabinet to consider and determine the proposal within 2 months, no later than 21 February 2026.
For further information about this proposal, please contact:
Richard Barker
Head of Education, Brighton & Hove City Council Education Service
Hove Town Hall
Norton Road
Hove
BN3 3BQ