School Organisation Strategy Consultation

What is the School Organisation Strategy?

All local authorities including Bristol City Council, working together with our schools, have a statutory (legal) duty to make sure there are enough mainstream and specialist school places (Education Act 1996, Section 14).

Bristol City Council must make sure there are neither too few nor too many school places in specific parts of the city.

We consulted on a draft School Organisation Strategy. This draft strategy set out how the council, working in collaboration with our schools, planned to provide the right number of school places in line with these statutory duties.

pdf Short summary of the School Organisation Strategy(830 KB)

The draft strategy provided key partners with trends in the population, such as the impact of birth rates, and data to inform their future decision-making and was an important framework for planning school provision in Bristol.

The draft strategy considered the needs of children and young people across all educational phases - from Early Years, Primary Schools, Secondary Schools, Post-16 education and specialist education. The key aims of the strategy were:

• To review school places in light of falling pupil numbers, particularly in primary education, and reduce surplus capacity by at least 50%.
• To continue our efforts to provide enough Early Years provision now that government policy has changed and government-funded Early Years provision has increased.
• To plan to meet changing primary school, secondary school, and post 16 demand through capital projects and partnerships with our schools.
• To expand and adjust specialist provision to meet the growing demand for Special Educational Needs and/or Disability (SEND) support.
• To recognise the impact of socio-economic inequality, population mobility, and sanctuary-seeking children in planning decisions.

The draft School Organisation Strategy set out a clear and evidence-based approach to the specific actions we will take to shape Bristol’s educational landscape over the next three years, but with a longer term view of the direction of travel and our city’s needs. The strategy would make sure the needs of communities in Bristol will be met while maintaining a commitment to high standards, inclusion, and equity for all children and young people.

Why did we consult?

We consulted with Bristol citizens on the proposed recommendations of the draft School Organisation Strategy for each of the education phases (from Early Years to Post-16) and our proposed strategic approach to pupil place planning.

Every primary and secondary school in England is required by law to have a published document outlining the overall procedure, practices and oversubscription criteria used in deciding the allocation of school places, including any device or means used to determine whether a school place is to be offered. This includes the minimum number of places the school has agreed to accept for each relevant year (the PAN).

It is the responsibility of the admission authority, working with our schools, to determine and apply the school’s admissions arrangements and to ensure that processes are compliant with the School Admissions Code (SAC). 

The draft School Organisation Strategy recommended a reduction of Pupil Admission Numbers (PAN) in primary schools which would reduce surplus capacity in the city.