Agenda item

Report of the Director for Children Services. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families.

To agree the proposed arrangements for admission to community nursery classes, primary, junior and secondary schools and to St Aidan’s Voluntary Controlled School, and for sixth form admission for the year 2026/27, including proposals to reduce the published admission number (PAN) for primary and secondary schools can go out for consultation.

The report was introduced by the Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families and sought approval to begin the consultation on school admission arrangements for the 2026-2027 academic year. It emphasised the need for a clear admission criteria, particularly when demand exceeded available places. The Council, as the admissions authority for community and voluntary controlled schools, managed these arrangements, while academies were excluded as they manage their own admissions.

A key responsibility outlined in the report was the publication of a coordinated scheme to ensure that all schools and academies followed the same procedures for allocating places, especially for reception and secondary transfers. This ensured every child received a school place. The report also addressed the issue of declining pupil numbers, which impacted school funding, as budgets were tied to enrolment figures. To maintain high standards, schools needed strong financial planning based on these numbers.

Cllr Hakata highlighted the potential impact of new housing developments, and increased number of families moving to this area near to Parkview Secondary School where there was a reduced Planned Admission Number (PAN), and he asked whether this decision could limit available places. Officers clarified that there was still current capacity within the system, which was sufficient, with smaller year groups moving through to the secondary school phase. If necessary, schools could increase their capacity promptly without requiring a Cabinet decision, in line with Department for Education (DfE) guidelines. At present, the system was expected to meet demand.

In further response to questions from Cllr Connor the following was noted:

-           In relation to composite classes in Haringey, in some of Haringey's smaller schools, particularly those with fewer than 210 pupils, mixed-age teaching groups had already been implemented. These schools were often operating as one-form entry or smaller and used composite classes to manage reduced student numbers. To ensure high-quality provision, the Council followed best practices established by the Haringey Education Partnership, ensuring that children were taught in an age-appropriate way while maintaining progress, especially in the early years.

-           The Council already compiled an annual childcare sufficiency plan to identify areas where new childcare places could be created. They had also been engaging with schools about the Nursery Capital Grant and were closely monitoring new opportunities, such as breakfast clubs.

RESOLVED:

1.         To agree to consult on the proposed admission arrangements, including the co-ordinated schemes for admission of children to schools for the academic year 2026/27.

2.         To agree to consult on the proposed fair access protocol2 which, if agreed at Cabinet in February 2025, would be come into force from 1 March 2025.

3.         To agree to consult with stakeholders on the proposal to reduce the PANs at Haringey primary and secondary schools - see table 1 at para 6.12 for the list of affected schools.

4.         To note that following the consultation, a report will be prepared summarising the representations received and a decision on the final admission arrangements for 2026/27 will be taken by Cabinet in February 2025.

Reasons for decisions:

In common with many London authorities, Haringey has been experiencing a decrease in demand for reception school places for several years. The reasons for Haringey’s declining numbers are multifaceted, but include a combination of falling birth rates, changes to welfare benefits, the housing crisis, increases in the cost of living, the withdrawal of the right of entry and freedom of movement from EU nationals (Brexit) and as a result of families leaving London during the Covid-19 pandemic. Many of these factors remain outside the Council’s control and are at no fault of the schools or their current leadership.

A report on Managing falling school rolls in London published by London Councils in January 2024 provides some wider context and independent analysis of the issue.

At secondary school level, forecast demand is also now declining. Demand for Year 7 places between now and the end of the decade is set to decline and fall below the notional existing capacity of 2,628 places. Reductions in secondary capacity should also therefore be undertaken to bolster sustainability across the school estate and ensure the provision of places meets projected demand.

The proposals put forward in this report for reductions in PAN are designed to improve schools’ ability to efficiently plan their staffing and educational provision by offering a more accurate number of places. This report sets out our response to the change in demand for Reception and Year 7 places in the borough and the consultation process we are asking to begin will gather views on an adjustment to our planned admission numbers for several schools. We will report back to Cabinet on this consultation and seek final agreement in February 2025.

Alternative options considered:

We are not proposing a change to the oversubscription criteria for our community and VC schools for 2026/27. Whilst there are other ways admission arrangements can influence the allocation of school places set out in the Code (e.g., designated catchment areas, identified feeder schools or giving priority in our oversubscription criteria to children eligible for the early years premium/ pupil premium) no alternative option is being considered at the time of writing this report.