Two schools in Letchworth and Baldock are set to see their school admissions fall

Hertfordshire County Council is consulting the public on plans to reduce the number of pupils admitted at primary schools around the county.

The county council isn't proposing to make any changes to how admissions work, but with demand for primary school places falling in some areas and rising in others, the county council's Cabinet is launching a consultation on changing the number of pupils admitted each year at certain schools from 2024/25.

The proposals would see the published admissions number (PAN), which is the number of pupils that a school can admit into each year group, reduced at:

Icknield Infant School in Letchworth

Weston Primary School in Baldock

Ashtree Primary in Stevenage

Brookland Junior School in Cheshunt

Forres Primary in Hoddesdon

In each case, the demand for primary school places in these areas is falling, and reducing the PAN would provide a better match between demand and actual places. In all cases the reductions have been requested and supported by the Headteacher and Governing Board.

As part of the same review, county councillors have already agreed an increase in the PAN at two community primary schools:

Codicote C of E Primary School in Codicote

Mandeville Primary School in Sawbridgeworth

This follows enlargement of the school premises and is needed to cater for increased demand for primary school places in these areas from new housing developments. The Governing Body and Headteacher of both schools are in agreement with the proposals.

Councillor Terry Douris, Executive Member for Education, Libraries and Lifelong Learning, said: "We want every child to have the best possible start in life, and making sure we have the right number of school places in the right areas is an important part of that.

"Our existing admission arrangements work well, with over 97% of Hertfordshire children allocated a ranked primary school and over 94% a ranked secondary school in 2022.

"However, as our population changes, and new development happens in our county, there are times when it is right to review these arrangements. We know that school places and admissions are a really important topic for parents, which is why we are committed to ensuring the everyone can have their say."

The consultation will open on Monday, October 31 and run until Sunday, December 11.

For full details of the proposals and to take part in the consultation go to www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/admissions