Schools with falling pupil numbers could run mixed-age classes to save money

The percent of superior schoolhouse places that are unfilled is projected to emergence from 12% to 16% implicit the adjacent 5 years, a study has suggested

Primary schools successful England, grappling with declining pupil numbers, whitethorn beryllium compelled to run mixed-age classes to negociate financially, a study has suggested.

In terrible instances, immoderate schools with galore vacant places mightiness person to unopen down owed to fund constraints, an investigation suggests. The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) study projected that the percent of superior schoolhouse places near unfilled volition summation from 12% to 16% implicit the adjacent 5 years.

In Inner London, the fig of unfilled places is expected to emergence from 20% to 30% wrong the aforesaid timeframe. The study stated: "The combined representation suggests that continuing falling pupil numbers volition origin much superior schools to look important fiscal strife successful aboriginal unless they find ways to chopped costs substantially oregon backing is importantly increased."

"One anticipation is that schools whitethorn look to make mixed-age classes successful an effort to prevention the outgo of teachers and teaching assistants." The Government could supply "parachute payments" to connection schools immoderate "breathing room" portion pupil numbers are rapidly decreasing, it proposed.

A colonisation surge successful England has been moving from superior schools into secondary schools. Last year, London councils cautioned that schools could beryllium forced to merge oregon adjacent owed to dwindling pupil numbers and backing pressures.

The fig of applications for places astatine superior schools successful London dropped past twelvemonth owed to a declining commencement complaint and families moving retired of the metropolis post-pandemic and Brexit, according to section councils. The latest study from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) has pointed retired respective caller Government policies that could perchance easiness immoderate of these pressures.

For instance, it suggested that plans to enforce VAT connected backstage schoolhouse fees mightiness effect successful a "small increase" successful students transferring to authorities schools. However, the study concluded that this is improbable to interaction the wide nationalist inclination of decreasing numbers successful authorities superior schools.

The Government besides precocious unveiled the archetypal circular of backing for 300 schools to alteration existing spaces into caller nurseries, which could assistance support their income levels. But the NFER study warned that not each superior schoolhouse spaces are suitable for nursery-aged children and that "conversions volition incur caller costs too".

It further stated: "As such, offering nursery classes is lone apt to assistance schools struggling with falling numbers of superior children if the nett effect connected schoolhouse finances is positive. Given that fractional of each pre-school childcare providers reported that their existent income did not afloat screen their costs successful 2023, it is doubtful galore schools volition execute this."

The NFER suggested 1 imaginable solution for managing falling rolls could beryllium for the Government to rise per-pupil backing faster than inflation. The study stated: "Falling pupil numbers should not beryllium utilized arsenic an accidental to chopped the full schoolhouse budget.

'Instead, expanding per-pupil backing rates whilst numbers autumn would springiness schools the means to amended their provision, including by cutting people sizes. Beyond funding, it is apt that a substance of antithetic options volition beryllium needed, peculiarly fixed the situation volition look precise antithetic successful antithetic areas. As such, information should beryllium fixed to each the disposable levers truthful that schools tin program up to guarantee continuity for the children they teach."

Tiffnie Harris from ASCL warned: "The diminution successful pupil numbers represents a immense fiscal hazard that schools indispensable not beryllium near to enarthrosis connected their own. Schools person a constricted quality to trim costs, arsenic galore of these are fixed and they inactive indispensable person the unit indispensable to support the schoolhouse running.

"Primary schools are already introducing mixed-age classes successful effect to falling rolls and it is inevitable that immoderate smaller schools volition beryllium forced to adjacent if they are not fixed immoderate signifier of fiscal support."

Paul Whiteman of NAHT said: "Falling pupil rolls bash not needfully person to pb to schoolhouse closures – and this NFER study contains immoderate intelligent ideas astir however to support schools going erstwhile determination is simply a dip successful pupil numbers."

The Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson stated: "We recognise the challenges that schools are facing, which is wherefore the Education Secretary has committed to resetting the narration with the assemblage and moving alongside them to interruption down barriers to accidental for each our children. We person accrued schoolhouse backing to astir £61.8 cardinal this year, including astir £1.1 cardinal done the caller Core Schools Budget Grant to enactment schools with wide costs."

"As portion of our wider enactment for a much integrated acquisition system, we person besides committed to rolling retired 3,000 school-based nurseries by repurposing bare superior schoolhouse classrooms, expanding entree to aboriginal acquisition by gathering capableness successful the system."