Warning over city secondary school admissions gap

BRISTOL children are likely to find it “very difficult” to get into a local secondary school next year.

Bristol City Council has sounded the warning in a report that went before a scrutiny committee yesterday,

The report estimates there will be around 180 more students wanting places in 2020 than schools have indicated they are willing to take.

“Projected demand is estimated to be around 4,300 with 4,120 places within PAN [published admission numbers],” it said.

“Secondary school admissions for 2020 are likely to be very difficult.”

Pupils needing to change schools or moving to Bristol will find “very few” places available in Year 7 in September, it added.

Three new secondary schools are planned for the city but only one will open in time to take pupils next year.

So the council must ask existing secondary schools to admit more pupils in 2020 than planned “to ensure every pupil receives an offer”.

The council did not respond to questions about what power it had to make schools take extra pupils or the impact that would have on class sizes and teacher-to-pupil ratios.

It has direct control over only two secondary schools. The remaining 18 are run by academy trusts.

But a council spokesman said schools were asked to take more than their published admission numbers in 2019, which resulted in all children receiving an offer, 90 per cent to one of their three preferred schools.

“We recognise that expanding places by making offers over the agreed published admission numbers is a short-term solution to meeting this spike in demand and isn’t a sustainable fix,” the spokesman said.

“It’s likely we will need to do the same next year but in the long term the only sustainable solution will be to build more schools.”

Three new secondary schools are planned for Bristol. The first, CST Trinity, is due to open in Lockleaze in September this year. Two others are planned for east and south Bristol but will not open until 2021 and 2022, respectively.

The council report estimates there will be still be shortfall in secondary school places of 80 by 2023, despite the extra places.

“Demand will start to fall after this, in line with primary school numbers and it is unlikely that further additional places will be required in the medium to longer term,” it said.