Consultation on PAN reduction proposal at Lady Royd Primary School

The purpose of this communication is to provide an opportunity for stakeholder views on the change of the PAN from 56 to 45 per year group.

Background

The current Published Admission Number (PAN) at Lady Royd Primary School is 56. This means that the number of children admitted to the school in Reception each year is a maximum of 56.

Lady Royd 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 392, made up of 56 places in each year from Reception to Year 6. However, currently there are 352 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. Lady Royd Primary School sits in the North West 3 planning area. The North West 3 planning areas has seen a decrease in pupil numbers in recent years and this trend is expected to continue. Simply put there ae more school places in the areas 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 North West 3 planning area will increase significantly in the near future.

Lady Royd Primary School currently has 17 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 next four intake years across North West 3 planning area will continue to fall. This means the current surplus reception places at Lady Royd Primary School will not improve. Forecasts for Reception places needed over the next four years for Lady Royd are below the current PAN of 56:

     
2025/26:      41   
2026/27:      39
2027/28:      42

2028/29:      40

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 56 – The Reception classes are not forecast to fill to 56 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 56 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 39 and 42 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. Lady Royd Primary School and BDAT are therefore seeking representations on the proposed change to the PAN for Lady Royd Primary School and Nursery in the North West 3 planning area.

Specific proposal: Amend the PAN from 56 to 45

Lady Royd Primary School and BDAT, propose to reduce the PAN from 56 to 45 from 1^st 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), Lady Royd Primary School and BDAT are consulting with key stakeholders, including;

• Lady Royd 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 Lady Royd Primary School website.

This consultation will run for from Monday 21^st October 2024 to Friday 29^th 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 Lady Royd Primary School.  Any questions in relation to the consultation should be sent to the school via School contact email address. office@lrps.bdat-academies.org

Factors that have been considered by Lady Royd Primary School and BDAT when deciding to consult on these proposals include:

• A large 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 North West 3 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 Northwest3 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 352, which is significantly below the current capacity of 392, using 89.8% of the school’s capacity.
• Lady Royd 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 North West 3 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/

Lady Royd 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.