Council unable to rule out school closures over falling numbers

COUNCIL bosses have made moves to reassure parents despite it being “unable to rule out” school closures due to falling numbers of reception-aged children.

- By ABIGAIL MARLOW

Last week, the Examiner reported some Kirklees schools were facing financial pressures as a result of the dwindling numbers, with the vast majority of school funding being based on the number of pupils on roll. Cohorts of reception age pupils have been getting smaller since the population peaked in 2015/16 and are expected to drop even further.

Action has been taken to help mitigate the problem, with the number of students a school can admit - the ‘Published Admission Number’ (PAN) - being reduced in some primary schools. The move has already seen “some success” but needs to go further, with some areas still struggling with surplus places.