The purpose of this communication is to provide an opportunity for stakeholder views on the change of the PAN at Clayton St John C of E Primary School from 60 to 45 per year group.
Background
The current Published Admission Number (PAN) at Clayton St. John C of E Primary School is 60. This means that the number of children admitted to the school in Reception each year is a maximum of 60.
Clayton St. John C of E Primary School and BDAT are proposing to reduce the PAN to 45.
This proposal would mean that the maximum number of pupils intended to be admitted in Reception in 2026, and all subsequent Reception cohorts, will be 45. For children who already have a place at the school in other year groups there will be no change.
Currently, the net capacity of the school is 420, made up of 60 places in each year from Reception to Year 6. However, currently there are 346 children on roll due to a decrease in pupil numbers over the past 3 years.
When planning primary school places, Bradford District is split into 26 primary school planning areas. Clayton St. John C of E Primary School sits in the West 1 planning area. The West 1 planning area has seen a decrease in pupil numbers in recent years
and this trend is expected to continue. Simply put there are more school places in the area than potential students.
According to data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), the number of live births nationally has fallen for five consecutive years, with the total number of live births in 2020 being the fewest since 2002. Given the falling number of births nationally
and across the District, the Council does not anticipate that the numbers of children requiring school places in the West 1 planning area will increase significantly in the near future.
Clayton St. John C of E Primary School currently has 25 surplus places (there are currently 35 children on roll in Reception).
Current published forecasts indicate that the numbers of Reception places required in Reception for the four intake years across West 1 planning area will continue to fall. This means the current surplus reception places at Clayton St. John C of E Primary
School will not improve. The forecasts for Reception places needed over the next three years for Clayton are below the current PAN of 60:
2025/26: 36
2026/27: 38
2027/28: 36
2028/29: 41
The school has used the Local Authority Reception places forecast information to model the school budget over the next five years in order to make an informed decision on its future. The school has considered the following three options:
a) Do nothing and keep the PAN at 60 – The Reception classes are not forecast to fill to 60 meaning the school will not receive the maximum funding to enable two classes per year group. Although the forecast indicates that reception will not fill, there
would be an expectation from the Local Authority that the school can still take up to 60 pupils throughout the whole intake year. This may result in a high number of in-year allocations that could potentially require changes to class organisation during the
school year which is detrimental to the pupils and the school.
b) Reduce the PAN to 45, as detailed previously the Reception cohort is forecast to have between 36 and 41 allocations in the forecast years (2025 -2028). By reducing the PAN there will be sufficient places to meet the forecasted demand for places.
The School Admissions Code requires that all admission authorities consult where they propose to reduce a PAN. Clayton St. John C of E Primary School and BDAT are therefore seeking representations on the proposed change to the PAN for Clayton St. John C
of E Primary School and Nursery in the West 1 planning area.
Specific proposal: Amend the PAN from 60 to 45
Clayton St. John C of E Primary School and BDAT, propose to reduce the PAN from 60 to 45 from 1st September 2026.
This means that the maximum number of pupils intended to be admitted in Reception in 2026 and all subsequent Reception cohorts, will be 45. For children who already have a place in the school there will be no change.
In accordance with the School Admissions Code (2021), Clayton St. John C of E Primary School and BDAT are consulting with key stakeholders, including;
- Clayton St. John C of E Primary School Staff
- Parents/carers of current pupils and prospective parents of pupils
- All other Admission Authorities within the District including Bradford Local Authority
- Neighbouring Local Authorities
- Councillors and MPs
- Trade Unions
- Anyone else who has an interest in the proposed changes.
A copy of the proposal has been published on Clayton St. John C of E Primary School website.
This consultation will run from Monday 21st October 2024 to
Friday 29th November 2024 after which time any representations received will be considered and a report taken to BDAT for a decision to be made on the PAN for Clayton St. John C of E Primary School.
Any questions in relation to the consultation should be sent to the school via School contact email address.
office@claytonce.bradford.sch.uk
Factors that have been considered by Clayton St. John C of E Primary School and BDAT when deciding to consult on these proposals include:
- A substantial portion of funding received by schools is directly related to the number of pupils attending the school. Too many pupil vacancies mean that the school will not receive the maximum possible revenue. Therefore, the school is proposing to reduce
the number of available places to enable the school to operate more efficiently and cost effectively whilst not having a detrimental effect on the education it offers its pupils.
- The school is located in West 1 planning area where there continues to be a falling demand for primary school places, resulting in a significant surplus across the area. There are also significantly lower numbers of younger children across West 1 and the
wider Bradford District, registered with the NHS who will require a school place over the coming years.
- The total number of pupils from Reception to Year 6 recorded by the school on the October 2024 census was 351, which is significantly below the current capacity of 420, using 83% of the school’s capacity.
- Clayton St John C of E Primary School and BDAT are more than willing to look creatively at solutions in conjunction with Bradford Local Authority in the future which may help to solve any problems resulting in a shortage of school places in the West 1 e.g.,
a bulge year. Should the LA ask the school to admit children substantially in excess of 1.5FE, the LA will employ its bulge class funding approach.
This consultation paper will be published on the BDAT and school website.
https://www.bdat-academies.org/admissions-consultation-september-2026/
Clayton St. John C of E Primary School and BDAT believe 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 and prospective
pupils. The reduction in PAN will ensure that an appropriate number of places are provided for future pupils, in line with forecasts.