About our School Organisation Strategy for 2025 to 2028.
We have a legal duty to make sure we're providing enough mainstream and specialist school places. We must also make sure there are the right number of places in specific parts of the city.
Our approach
Our School Organisation Strategy 2025 to 2028 sets out our strategic approach to ensuring sufficient, high-quality, and inclusive school places across all phases of education, in line with statutory duties and the Corporate Strategy 2025 to 2030.
The main objectives of the strategy are to:
- review how many children are in school and to cut the number of empty places in primary schools by half
- make sure there are enough early years places now that the government is giving more money to help with this
- help us meet changing primary school, secondary school, and post 16 demand through capital projects and partnerships with our schools and colleges
- meet the growing demand for Special Educational Needs or Disability (SEND) support
- recognise the impact of socio-economic inequality, population mobility, and sanctuary seeking children in planning decisions
The strategy has been developed with schools and trusts and is in response to changing demographics of the city. This includes a sustained decline in birth rates which has resulted in a surplus of primary school places.
Secondary school place sufficiency will be explored collaboratively with schools and trusts over the next three years.
It also addresses the:
- rising demand for specialist provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
- anticipated increase in Early Years places following the national rollout of 30-hour childcare entitlements in September
The strategy is informed by our Evidence Summary, which is a separate document outlining our pupil forecasts and projections across the city.
You can read the School Organisation Strategy 2025 to 2028 and the supporting Evidence Summary below: