Agenda item

IB, Place Planning Manager, gave a presentation on the latest place planning information and drew attention to the following points:

September 2022 Y7

1.      5,008 on-time applications had been received (4,961 in 2021)

2.      There was a similar pattern of applications to previous years, but less popular schools had an increase in applications and there was a slight decrease in applications to the most popular schools.

3.      There continued to be a lack of secondary provision in Bristol, and this had been managed by temporary solutions such as planned additional places and over-allocation as well as capital investment to enable schools to continue to take over Published Admission Number (PAN).

4.      4,549 offers were made for Bristol schools, 77% first preference and 93% any preference, which was similar to the previous year.

5.      The vast majority of those who were not offered a preference were offered another school in the same area.

6.      No places were left empty, and places were over-allocated as some offered places would drop out.

7.      There would also be some movement as a result of successful school appeals.

8.      The lack of available places was a problem in terms of late applications; in-year movers; pressure on Fair Access and no places for emergency situations such as Afghanistan and Ukraine refugees.

Secondary beyond 2022

1.      There continued to be uncertainty on the opening of Temple Quarter Free School and the outcome of the planning inquiry was due in early May. It may be possible to open on a temporary site in 2023 but this was challenging, and further delays would mean 2024 at earliest.

2.      South Free School was due to open in September 2023 on a temporary site.

3.      Year 7 intake was due to peak in 2024/25, and then there would be a slow reduction.

Primary

1.      There continued to be a fall in demand for the foreseeable future.

2.      There had been a closure of St Pius X and reorganisation of C of E Provision in city centre (closure of St George and St Michael’s and opening Willow Park).

3.      There was a gradual reduction of places by lowering the PAN in other schools.

4.      There were fewer oversubscribed schools each year.

5.      BCC was working with schools to manage numbers but could not refuse preference applications if under PAN.

6.      Primary offers were due to be made on 19 April.

Specialist Provision

1.      As part of phase 1 projects, 142 specialist provision places had been made available between now and September 2023.

2.      In terms of phase 2, 20 places had been identified.

3.      A further 83 places had been made available through capital projects and 37 as a result of increased capacity.

4.      The total number of places was 282.

IB undertook to circulate a copy of the slide presentation to members of Schools Forum.

AH thanked schools for working with BCC to increase specialist provision.

In response to questions raised by Forum Members, AH/IB confirmed:

1.      As a city of sanctuary, it was important for Bristol to be able to offer school places for refugee families and BCC was working with schools to try and identify temporary solutions.

2.      In terms of support for the school appeals process, if schools bought into the LA service, they would get support from officers in presenting their case and stressing to panels the pressure put on schools by admitting additional students.  Panels usually accepted the case of the schools but some of the individual cases for families wanting a particular school were so strong that their appeals were upheld.

3.      BCC was supporting primary schools by talking to schools about officially reducing PANs; looking at alternative uses within the community to avoid school closures and protect and stabilise provision.

4.      Whether the new Temple Quarter schools should remain as an 8-form entry in view of the other places that had opened up was a question for the DfE to determine.