Consultation on proposal to reduce the PAN at Ingrow Primary School

Statutory consultation on the proposed reduction of the Published Admission Number for Ingrow Primary School for the 2025/26 academic year

Background

The current Published Admission Number (PAN) at Ingrow Primary School is 60. This means that the number of children admitted to the school in reception each year is a maximum of 60.

When planning primary school places in Bradford, the District is split into 26 primary school planning areas. Ingrow Primary School sits in the Keighley 2 planning area.

In recent years across the Bradford District, there has been a significant reduction in the number of younger children registered with the NHS. This has led to a high level of surplus places in some of the primary school planning areas, including Keighley 2.

According to data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), the number of live births nationally has fallen in five of the last six years, with the total number of live births in 2022 being the fewest since 2002. Given the falling number of births nationally and across the District, there has been a significant reduction in the number of Reception places required across this planning area; the Council does not anticipate that there will be a significant increase in the number of places required in the near future.

Since the PAN increased to 60 in 2013, Ingrow Primary School has recorded only a small number of vacancies in reception on the January Census until 2020 when there were 14 vacancies. 50 reception pupils were recorded on roll in January 2023, meaning there were 10 vacancies. Forecasts indicate there will be between 40 and 50 reception pupils in 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027.

Across the Keighley 2 planning area, there were 415 places to start Reception in 2023. However, the total number of places allocated on National Offer Day was only 341, leaving 74 vacancies. This reduced slightly to 338 on roll in September 2023 and is still considerably below the number of available places.

On National Offer Day, 49 children were allocated to start Reception at the school. 48 started at the school in September.

Consultations have already taken place to reduce the PANs at two other primary schools in this planning area in September 2024. The proposed PAN reduction at Ingrow Primary School will provide 370 places in the planning area from September 2025. Current published forecasts indicate that the numbers of reception places required for the next four intake years across Keighley 2 are:

2024/25:        311

2025/26:         318

2026/27:         341

2027/28:         352

The Local Authority’s forecast information has been used to model the school’s budget over the next three years. This process showed that if the PAN remains at 60 the school is likely to face financial difficulty. The proposed PAN reduction will help to ensure the school is in a more financially stable position in future years.

The School Admissions Code requires that all admission authorities consult where they propose to reduce a PAN. Bradford Council, as the Admission Authority, is therefore seeking representations on the proposed change to the PAN for Ingrow Primary School in the Keighley 2 planning area.

In accordance with the School Admissions Code (2021), The Council is consulting with key stakeholders, including;

• Ingrow Primary School – Head/Governing Board/Staff
• Parents/carers of current pupils and prospective parents of pupils
• All other Admission Authorities within the District
• Neighbouring Local Authorities
• Councillors and MPs
• Trade Unions
• Anyone else who has an interest in the proposed changes

A copy has been sent to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator and the proposal will be published on Ingrow Primary school’s website.

This consultation will run for six weeks from Monday 30^th October to Monday 11^th December 2023, after which time any representations received will be considered and a report taken to the Council’s Executive Committee for a decision to be made on the PAN for Ingrow Primary School.
A public consultation meeting will be held from 18:00 to 19:00 on Wednesday 22nd November online via Microsoft Teams. Please email SufficiencyConsultation@bradford.gov.uk by Monday 20^th November to book a place at the meeting and a link will be sent to you.

Specific Proposal

Bradford Council proposes to reduce the PAN at Ingrow Primary School from 60 to 45 from 1 September 2025.

This means that the maximum number of pupils intended to be admitted in Reception in 2025, and all subsequent Reception cohorts, will be 45. There will be no impact on children who already have a place at the school in other year groups.

Factors that have been considered by the Council when deciding to consult on this proposal include:

• A large portion of funding received by schools is directly related to the number of pupils attending the school. Too many vacancies mean that schools will not receive the maximum possible revenue. Therefore, the Council is proposing to reduce the number of available places to ensure the school can continue to operate efficiently and effectively.
• The school is located in Keighley 2 planning area where there continues to be a falling demand for primary school places, resulting in a significant surplus across the area.
• The total number of pupils from reception to Year 6 recorded by the school on the May 2023 census was 366, which is below the current capacity of 420.
• Due to the lower numbers of younger children registered with the NHS who will require a school place in the coming years, the Council forecasts that there will be sufficient school places available for local children if the PAN is reduced. If agreed, the overall PAN for the Keighley 2 planning area will be 370 from 2025.
• Should circumstances change in the future in the number of children requiring a primary school place, Bradford Council will work with schools to ensure all children can be placed in a local school.

Bradford Council believes that reducing the PAN will assist the school to provide stability in their long-term planning and allow them to deliver high quality educational outcomes for the pupils currently on roll. The reduction in PAN will ensure that an appropriate number of places are provided for future pupils, in line with forecasts.

Any representations should be made on the online survey by 11 December 2023 https://online1.snapsurveys.com/Ingrow or scan this QR code:

Alternatively, if you would prefer a paper copy of the response form, please email SufficiencyConsultation@bradford.gov.uk quoting Ingrow Primary School PAN reduction. Completed paper response forms can be handed in to the school office or returned to the address on the form.