Residents to be consulted on schools’ merger

We’ve launched a public consultation on whether two city schools should be merged.

We’re asking residents to let us know their thoughts on bringing Hertford Infants and Hertford Juniors together as one school at the junior’s site in Lynchet Close, Brighton.

At present the two schools are on different sites, despite working together very closely.

The schools have been integrated since 2017, with an Executive Headteacher leading both the infants and juniors since 2018.  

The values of the schools are the same and the curriculum is planned for across both sites, with many staff already working across the two school sites.

Councillors agreed to the consultation at a meeting of the Children, Families and Schools Committee on Monday (12 June).

Consultation plus public events

The consultation started on Monday (19 June) and finishes on Monday 31 July. 

There will be three information events held during the consultation period.

• Monday 26 June 11.00 - online event – Teams meeting link
• Tuesday 27 June 18.00 – in-person event - Hertford Junior School
• Wednesday 5 July 18.00 – online event – Teams meeting link

Reception admissions falling

Falling school admissions are behind the proposed merger as 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.

Please ensure you have your say

Jacob Taylor, joint chair of the council’s Children, Families and Schools committee, said: “This merger is something both schools would like to see, and it makes sense as they’ve had a very close connection for a number of years.

“But I’m also urging everyone that may be affected by the merger to complete the consultation when it’s launched to ensure we have their views.”