Brighton & Hove City Council has launched a consultation to find out what residents think about potential changes to school admission arrangements from September 2027.
At the Cabinet meeting on Thursday 13 November, councillors agreed to consult on admission arrangements for the 2027/28 academic year.
The consultation includes proposed changes to the admission priorities for secondary schools to enable the sibling link to be applied regardless of the catchment area where families live; reductions to the Published Admission Numbers (PANs) of Rudyard Kipling Primary School and Downs Junior School; and changes to how waiting lists are operated.
- Have your say on the council’s school admission arrangements 2027 to 2028 online consultation on Your Voice. The consultation will be open until Friday 9 January 2026.
The council made significant changes to its secondary school admission arrangements for the 2025/26 and 2026/27 academic years. These included giving priority to children eligible for free school meals (up to the city average) and an ‘open admission’ criterion to give priority to pupils from single school catchment areas (up to 5% of the school’s PAN).
At present, the sibling link only applies to families who have an older sibling in the designated catchment school. The council is proposing to amend the sibling link priority so that it applies to all pupils regardless of the catchment area where they live.
School budgets are determined by pupil numbers, with empty places impacting the resources, teaching and support available to pupils. Pupil numbers starting Reception across the city have been falling and are not forecast to increase in the foreseeable future.
In response to this, the council is proposing to amend the PANs at Rudyard Kipling Primary School and Downs Junior School from September 2027. Reducing PANs will help protect the long-term future of the city’s education system.
The council asked the governing boards of all of the city’s schools if they wished to include a change to PANs for September 2027 as part of the consultation, and both Rudyard Kipling Primary and Downs Junior School agreed to a reduction in PANs.
The council is proposing to amend the PAN of Rudyard Kipling Primary School from 45 to 30 pupils. This proposal has been put forward in response to declining pupil numbers in the Deans planning area, particularly the Woodingdean area of the city.
The council is also proposing to amend the PAN of Downs Junior School from 128 to 96 pupils to reflect previous changes at Downs Infant School. The infant schools’ PAN was reduced from 120 to 90 pupils in September 2024, so there will be 90 pupils moving to the junior school in September 2027.
The council holds waiting lists for primary schools and reallocation pools for secondary schools. Currently, pupils are automatically added to the waiting list or reallocation pool for their first preference school, and they must request to be added to the waiting list or reallocation pool for any subsequent preferences.
This has led to delays in the reallocation process, as places are offered from waiting lists that are no longer required, and in some cases multiple school offers are held while parents confirm which place they want to accept.
The council is proposing to update this process so parents will need to actively request that their child be considered for a reallocated place, regardless of which preference the school is.
The council is also proposing that when a place is allocated from a waiting list or reallocation pool, any previous offers will automatically be withdrawn.
Councillor Jacob Taylor, Deputy Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, said: “We’re seeking feedback from pupils, parents and carers, school staff and governors, and wider communities about the proposed changes to school admissions arrangements.
“These proposals aim to support schools’ budget sustainability while delivering a fair and inclusive education system where all young people have access to a good education. To achieve this, we must ensure that available school places align with pupil numbers.
“You can share your views on the proposed changes by completing our online survey, or by attending one of our in-person or online public consultation events.”
The council is holding a number of in-person and online public meetings where you can find out more about the proposals and share your views and feedback.
Downs Junior School-focused focused meetings
Rudyard Kipling Primary School-focused meeting
General meeting
