Agenda item

IB introduced the report and drew attention to the following:

·       Birth rates had fallen in recent years and this had an impact on schools;

·       The current pressure for school places was in the secondary system while numbers were dropping in primary provision;

·       At the same time there was an increased demand for SEND provision;

·       Bristol City Council identified the need for 3 additional secondary schools:

o   Trinity Academy which was now open and would move to full size in September 2021;

o   Oasis Temple Quarter the construction of which had been delayed due to the planning application being called in and so would probably not be open by September 2022;

o   Oasis South Bristol which was scheduled for 2023 but may need to be brought forward to ease pressure;

·       In terms of east Bristol and the pressure caused by the delay of Oasis Temple Quarter, Bristol City Council had engaged with Cabot Learning Federation to offer more Y7 places by relocating Post-16 provision;

·       In terms of managing down primary numbers, there was a reduced Published Admission Number (PAN) at several schools; although it was important in future planning to be mindful that the population would start to increase again;

·       Place planning also considered the large-scale plans for housing in certain areas;

·       Priority for SEND places was another consideration;

·       There were also 3 primary schools where numbers had been consistently small for a number of years which were proposed for closure, St Pius; St Michael’s on the Mount and St George. In the case of St Michael’s and St George’s there would be a new school built on the current site of St George’s and priority would be given to children currently attending the two schools.  St Pius was proposed to be a straight closure.

·       The rise in secondary numbers would soon start to have an impact on Post-16 places;

·       September 2021 would see a pressure on school places in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 and this would have a knock-on effect on behaviour/attendance;

·       There would also be a pressure on the growth fund as a result of the delay to the opening of Oasis Temple Quarter.

IB responded to questions raised by Forum Members as follows:

·       Does the Local Authority have a statutory obligation to provide Post-16 Education?

The LA does need to ensure sufficiency and that there is a range of provision available as it has a statutory obligation to ensure that young people were either in education, employment or training;

·       Should the falling rolls fund be revisited in view of school numbers reducing in primary schools and the housing developments planned in certain areas which will increase demand in the future?
Future developments e.g. Hengrove Park had been taken into consideration in place planning and it was not likely that any of the schools would meet the current criteria for falling rolls fund.

·       Consideration should be given to doing things differently to address the inequalities across the city e.g. allowing smaller class sizes in areas of greater deprivation while the demand for school places was decreasing to allow these children to catch up;
The projections work considered both birth rates and historical patterns such as child mobility and in some of the more deprived area it was notable that there was often movement where families moved out of the area before children started school.

·       What was the number of pupils attending Bristol schools from out of the city and how did this compare with previous years and was this information considered in place planning?
This information was taken into account in the projections, and there had been an increase in children attending Bristol schools from outside the city boundary, but there were more children from Bristol attending schools in other local authority areas;

·       Would there be enough places at the new combined school to accommodate pupils from St Michaels and St Georges?
Yes, there would be more than enough places and the challenge would be to attract more children to give it a sustainable future.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.