Councillors to ask residents on schools’ merger
A public consultation could soon be launched on merging two city schools.
Councillors will discuss the possibility of Hertford Infants and Hertford Juniors being brought together on one site at a meeting of the Children, Families and Schools Committee on Monday (12 June).
At present the infant school is based in Hertford Road, Brighton. If the merger goes ahead the infants would move to the junior site in Lynchet Close, extending the age range from four to 11 years.
Falling school admissions
The merger proposal comes after the governors at the infant’s school asked the council to reduce its PAN (Published Admission Numbers) - the number of pupils the school can admit into reception from 60 to 30.
Last September just 26 pupils were enrolled into reception and so far only 22 pupils have been allocated places this September.
Falling pupil numbers are being reflected across the city with the council estimating 593 places will be unfilled across Brighton & Hove and 692 by September 2026.
The government’s latest data shows England's school population is set to shrink by almost a million children over the next 10 years.
‘Ensuring our schools have a long-term future’
Jacob Taylor, joint chair of the council’s Children, Families and Schools committee, said: “With our school application numbers falling so heavily across the city we need to look ahead and ensure our schools are viable for the long term.
“The schools and governors of Hertford Infants and Hertford Juniors have taken a very sensible approach and have requested this merger which we are supporting.
Merger, not closure
“We must stress this is not a school closure but two schools coming together for the long-term benefit of the pupils, parents and carers, and the schools themselves.”
If councillors agree, the consultation is expected to start on Monday 19 June and finish on Monday 31 July.
There would also be three public events for residents to find out more and ask questions.
These would be:
- Two online Teams meetings, Monday 26 June 11am and Wednesday 5 July 6pm
- An in-person event, Hertford Junior School, Tuesday 27 June 6pm
A report going to the committee states there are two ways for a council to merge schools. The first option is to close both schools and open a new school.
The second is to publish a proposal to enlarge/change the age range and transfer the site of an existing school, which is the preferred option of the schools.
The report adds: “It is proposed that the council will follow the second option and relocate Hertford Infant School to the site of the junior school and extend its age range to admit pupils from ages 4 to 11 years.
Governing body keen to progress
“The governing board is keen to progress with consulting on these proposals to provide their community and staff with as much certainty as is possible at this time.”
The schools have already been integrated since 2017, with an Executive Headteacher leading both schools since 2018.
The values and ethos of the schools are already aligned and the curriculum is planned for across both sites, with many staff already working across the two school sites.
Some alterations needed
The junior school would need some alterations to make it suitable for younger pupils, but already has extensive grounds including forested areas, ponds, a full-sized football pitch, a large trail area and several surfaced playground areas.
The council doesn’t have any set plans for the infant school if the plans go ahead and would need permission from the Secretary of State for Education to dispose of the school, which could take 2 years.