Consultation on school changes to be discussed

The council carried out a three-week public engagement exercise before the cabinet report was drafted

Campaigners calling for more equal educational opportunities in Brighton and Hove have welcomed plans for a public consultation on school admission changes.

Councillors are due to hear from campaign group Class Divide at Brighton & Hove City Council’s cabinet on Thursday before discussing the proposed admissions changes.

If the cabinet agrees, a consultation will start on adjustments to two catchment areas, the published admission numbers (PAN) at three schools, and the admissions criteria when secondary schools are oversubscribed.

Class Divide, set up to achieve better education for children living in Whitehawk, Manor Farm and the Bristol Estate, has broadly welcomed the proposals.

Some parents in other parts of Brighton and Hove are concerned that the process is rushed, but Class Divide said the consultation was likely to last for eight weeks rather than the usual six, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A group of parents concerned about the data analysis from a three-week survey carried out last month are also due to address the cabinet.

They have also raised concerns about the proposals which they say risk 200 children missing out on catchment area schools.

The proposals

The potential school admission changes are:

• Allocate 20% of places in each of the city’s secondary schools for pupils who live in the single school catchment areas

• Change to the PAN of Longhill High School from 270 pupils to 210 pupils, Blatchington Mill School from 330 pupils to 300 pupils and Dorothy Stringer School from 330 pupils to 300 pupils

• Changing the PAN of Rudyard Kipling Primary School from 30 to 45 pupils

• Move most of the Whitehawk estate into the catchment areas for the Varndean and Dorothy Stringer schools

• Increasing the number of preferences that families can make from three to four

Dr Carlie Goldsmith, from Class Divide, said: “What is clear from the data we have is that our current system is failing our poorest children.

“A system designed to meet the needs of children having the hardest time outside of school will be a system that works for all children."

Councillor Jacob Taylor, deputy leader of the council, said a consultation offers "another opportunity to explore the issues in detail before we introduce any changes".

Brighton & Hove City Council's proposed catchment areas for September 2026

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