Proposed Admission Arrangements for Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools 2026/27

Background

Local Authorities have a statutory responsibility to determine admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools in their area, including school admission numbers, by 28 February each year. In doing this, local authorities must comply with the requirements of the School Admissions Code and all relevant legislation.

When changes to the admission arrangements are proposed, consultation must take place between 1 October and 31 January and must last for a minimum of 6 weeks.

What we are proposing

The district has been experiencing a decline in the birth rate for several years. This demographic shift has begun to manifest in lower numbers of school allocations, with some schools establishing consistently lower intakes.

Both Kintbury and Hermitage Primary Schools currently have a Published Admissions Number (PAN) of 30, but we are proposing to reduce this number to 15, aligning the PAN with current and predicted demand based on birth data, local preferences, and the overall declining preschool population. Projections indicate that these lower numbers are likely to persist through the forecast period from 2025 to 2029.

You can see the full set of proposed admission arrangements here [330KB] . We're proposing the following changes, which reflect demographic trends, including declining birth rates, lower allocations, and patterns of school preferences within the local community:

1. Kintbury St Marys Primary School: Proposed reduction of PAN from 30 to 15

In September, Kintbury St Mary's School enrolled 120 students, a number that has been steadily decreasing. The school is expected to have approximately 110 students at the start of the next academic year. For the years 2025 to 2029, student numbers are anticipated to remain at or below 15 per year. This trend reflects larger year groups moving to secondary school, with smaller reception cohorts entering.

However, there may be fluctuations in cohort sizes, and in some years, demand from catchment pupils or siblings could exceed the school's capacity. For instance, in 2026, catchment demand may rise to 19, which would exceed the proposed PAN of 15, possibly necessitating redirection to other schools. The Local Authority (LA) may, however, exercise discretion to over-allocate if previous years' allocations were low, ensuring that children can be accommodated within the legal limit of 30 children per class.

In the latest allocation for the 2024 academic year, 10 children were allocated places, including 8 from the catchment area, leaving 20 places unfilled.
 

2. Hermitage Primary School: Proposed reduction of PAN from 30 to 15

Hermitage Primary School had 167 students in September, down from 188 the previous year. This decrease is expected to continue due to smaller incoming reception year groups. Projections suggest that total student numbers will decrease by 10 to 20 students annually over several years.

Admissions are expected to include around 10 to 12 catchment children and 2 to 3 siblings each year, with manageable demand. However, fluctuations in cohort sizes could lead to a shortfall in available places in the 2028/29 academic year, potentially affecting 2 to 3 children. The LA will monitor these changes and can over-allocate if necessary, where possible, with nearby schools such as Curridge offering additional capacity to accommodate overflow if required.

In the 2024 admissions year, 15 children were allocated, with 10 from the catchment area, leaving 15 available places.

Class sizes

Currently, both schools have capacity to operate with single-class year groups. However, when the number of children admitted falls significantly below the current PAN of 30 (for example, 10 or 15 children in the reception class), it is not sustainable. Reducing the PAN to 15 would allow the schools to restructure their intake, with mixed age classes of 30. 

Without limiting the intake to 15 children, there is a risk of exceeding the infant class size limit of 30 children per class, which would breach the infant class size legislation.

The PAN will be kept under review and if the catchment population starts to consistently increase then the PAN can be increased in the future.

No change for children currently attending the schools

It is important to note that the proposed changes will not affect students currently enrolled at the schools. The reduction in PAN will apply to new reception intakes starting in the 2026 academic year.

Implications and impact

From both a financial and operational perspective, maintaining enrolment close to the PAN is essential for the sustainability of the schools. The proposed reduction would assist in managing staffing, resources, and compliance with class size regulations, while still meeting local demand for school places.

How to take part

If you'd like to comment on our proposals, please complete our survey by midnight on Friday, 31 January 2025. It should take about 10 minutes.

Complete our survey

If you have any questions about the survey, please email the School Admissions Team.

For general enquiries about school admissions, please visit our webpage.

What happens next

Your feedback will be taken into consideration, and a final decision made by Delegated Officer Decision in early 2025. Any approved changes will be implemented at the end of February 2025.