Agenda item

Report of the Corporate Director of Children's Services (Statutory DCS). To be presented by the Cabinet Member for Children, Schools & Families

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST MADE FOR THIS ITEM:

None

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.    Noted that no responses were received during the consultation period, which ran from 27 November 2025 to 15 January 2026. The anticipated reasons for this outcome were outlined from paragraph 7.7.

2.    Noted the equalities impact assessment of the proposals on protected groups at Appendix 7.

3.    Agreed the recommendation set out in the report to proceed with the proposal to reduce the published admission number (PAN) for the primary and secondary schools listed in Table 1 from September 2027.

4.    Agreed the Council’s admission arrangements for the academic year 2027/28 as set out in Appendices 1–4.

5.    Agreed Haringey’s fair access protocol as set out in Appendix 5 to come into force from 1 March 2026.

6.    Agreed that the determined arrangements for all maintained primary and secondary schools in the borough were published on the Council’s website by 15 March 2025, with an explanation of the right of any person or body, under the School Admissions (Admission Arrangements and Co?ordination of Admission Arrangements) Regulations 2012, to object to the Schools Adjudicator in specified circumstances.

Reasons for decision:

In common with many London authorities, Haringey had been experiencing a decrease in demand for reception school places for several years. The reasons for the declining numbers were multifaceted and included falling birth rates, changes to welfare benefits, the housing crisis, increases in the cost of living, the loss of the right of entry and freedom of movement for EU nationals (Brexit), and families leaving London during the Covid?19 pandemic. Many of these factors remained outside the Council’s control and were not the fault of the schools or their leadership.

A report on Managing School Places and Admissions in London, published by London Councils in February 2025, provided wider context and independent analysis of the issue.

While recent focus had largely been on reducing primary school capacity, forecast demand for secondary school places was also declining. Year 7 intake was projected to fall below the notional capacity of 2,628 places by the end of the decade. In response, some reductions in secondary capacity had already been implemented to support the sustainability of the school estate and to ensure provision aligned with projected demand.

From 2026, Year 7 capacity reduced to 2,544 places, helping to manage surplus provision. This revised figure reflected permanent reductions at Heartlands High School (from 240 to 210 in 2025) and planned reductions at Hornsey School for Girls and Park View in 2026, to 135 and 189 places respectively. Further reductions might be necessary to maintain a balanced and efficient secondary school estate.

As previously mentioned, several secondary schools referenced in the report adjusted their Published Admission Numbers (PAN) to reflect changes in class?size models. Some reduced PANs to move from 27 to 30 pupils per class. These schools had agreed with staff unions to increase class sizes from 27 to 30 pupils, in line with Department for Education (DfE) guidance, which recognised 30 as the standard class size in secondary education. This adjustment supported schools in achieving greater operational and financial efficiency through more flexible staffing and improved resource deployment. It also supported schools in aligning their financial and staffing structures with current and projected pupil numbers while maintaining high standards of educational provision.

The proposals outlined in the report to reduce Published Admission Numbers (PAN), including adjustments to class?size models from 27 to 30 pupils per class, were intended to support schools in planning their staffing and educational provision more efficiently by aligning capacity with actual and projected demand. This approach reflected DfE guidance recognising 30 pupils as the standard class size in secondary education and enabled schools to realise operational and financial benefits. The consultation process being initiated sought to gather stakeholder views on these proposals, with a final decision to be presented to Cabinet in February 2026.

Alternative options considered:

No changes were proposed to the oversubscription criteria for community and voluntary controlled (VC) schools for the 2027/28 academic year. Although the School Admissions Code (2021) allowed for various mechanisms to influence the allocation of places—such as designated catchment areas, feeder schools, or prioritisation for children eligible for the early years or pupil premium—no alternative option was considered at that time.

The aim was to support schools in achieving long?term sustainability and to introduce greater flexibility across the school estate in response to fluctuating population demand. Reducing PANs was one of several strategies available to schools, alongside strengthening partnerships through soft or hard federations and formal agreements such as memorandums of understanding.

Some neighbouring London boroughs had taken more radical steps to address surplus capacity, including school closures and amalgamations. The previous year, the Council consulted on the future of three one?form?entry primary schools and subsequently approved their closure from 31 August 2025, with pupils transferring to local schools. These closures did not affect the consultation or determination of admission arrangements for schools governed by the local authority.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families introduced the report.

It was explained that, following a full consideration of the available evidence, the proposed Council’s admission arrangements for the academic year 2027/28 were outlined and it was suggested that the Cabinet approve the proposal to reduce the published admission number (PAN) for the primary and secondary schools listed in the report.

Following questions from Councillor Connor, the following information was shared:

• It was explained that the reduction in numbers of pupils was a concern for school budgets, which was noted that this may have some adverse impact on schools. It was explained that the Council would work with schools to mitigate these issues wherever possible.
  
  
• It was explained that the Council did factor in potential future house building, and subsequent demand, during school place planning.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.    Noted that no responses were received during the consultation period, which ran from 27 November 2025 to 15 January 2026. The anticipated reasons for this outcome were outlined from paragraph 7.7.

2.    Noted the equalities impact assessment of the proposals on protected groups at Appendix 7.

3.    Agreed the recommendation set out in the report to proceed with the proposal to reduce the published admission number (PAN) for the primary and secondary schools listed in Table 1 from September 2027.

4.    Agreed the Council’s admission arrangements for the academic year 2027/28 as set out in Appendices 1–4.

5.    Agreed Haringey’s fair access protocol as set out in Appendix 5 to come into force from 1 March 2026.

6.    Agreed that the determined arrangements for all maintained primary and secondary schools in the borough were published on the Council’s website by 15 March 2025, with an explanation of the right of any person or body, under the School Admissions (Admission Arrangements and Co?ordination of Admission Arrangements) Regulations 2012, to object to the Schools Adjudicator in specified circumstances.

Reasons for decision:

In common with many London authorities, Haringey had been experiencing a decrease in demand for reception school places for several years. The reasons for the declining numbers were multifaceted and included falling birth rates, changes to welfare benefits, the housing crisis, increases in the cost of living, the loss of the right of entry and freedom of movement for EU nationals (Brexit), and families leaving London during the Covid?19 pandemic. Many of these factors remained outside the Council’s control and were not the fault of the schools or their leadership.

A report on Managing School Places and Admissions in London, published by London Councils in February 2025, provided wider context and independent analysis of the issue.

While recent focus had largely been on reducing primary school capacity, forecast demand for secondary school places was also declining. Year 7 intake was projected to fall below the notional capacity of 2,628 places by the end of the decade. In response, some reductions in secondary capacity had already been implemented to support the sustainability of the school estate and to ensure provision aligned with projected demand.

From 2026, Year 7 capacity reduced to 2,544 places, helping to manage surplus provision. This revised figure reflected permanent reductions at Heartlands High School (from 240 to 210 in 2025) and planned reductions at Hornsey School for Girls and Park View in 2026, to 135 and 189 places respectively. Further reductions might be necessary to maintain a balanced and efficient secondary school estate.

As previously mentioned, several secondary schools referenced in the report adjusted their Published Admission Numbers (PAN) to reflect changes in class?size models. Some reduced PANs to move from 27 to 30 pupils per class. These schools had agreed with staff unions to increase class sizes from 27 to 30 pupils, in line with Department for Education (DfE) guidance, which recognised 30 as the standard class size in secondary education. This adjustment supported schools in achieving greater operational and financial efficiency through more flexible staffing and improved resource deployment. It also supported schools in aligning their financial and staffing structures with current and projected pupil numbers while maintaining high standards of educational provision.

The proposals outlined in the report to reduce Published Admission Numbers (PAN), including adjustments to class?size models from 27 to 30 pupils per class, were intended to support schools in planning their staffing and educational provision more efficiently by aligning capacity with actual and projected demand. This approach reflected DfE guidance recognising 30 pupils as the standard class size in secondary education and enabled schools to realise operational and financial benefits. The consultation process being initiated sought to gather stakeholder views on these proposals, with a final decision to be presented to Cabinet in February 2026.

Alternative options considered:

No changes were proposed to the oversubscription criteria for community and voluntary controlled (VC) schools for the 2027/28 academic year. Although the School Admissions Code (2021) allowed for various mechanisms to influence the allocation of places—such as designated catchment areas, feeder schools, or prioritisation for children eligible for the early years or pupil premium—no alternative option was considered at that time.

The aim was to support schools in achieving long?term sustainability and to introduce greater flexibility across the school estate in response to fluctuating population demand. Reducing PANs was one of several strategies available to schools, alongside strengthening partnerships through soft or hard federations and formal agreements such as memorandums of understanding.

Some neighbouring London boroughs had taken more radical steps to address surplus capacity, including school closures and amalgamations. The previous year, the Council consulted on the future of three one?form?entry primary schools and subsequently approved their closure from 31 August 2025, with pupils transferring to local schools. These closures did not affect the consultation or determination of admission arrangements for schools governed by the local authority.