Sheffield primary school admissions numbers cut as city birth rate falls
SHEFFIELD: School admissions cuts v.1
The falling birth rate in Sheffield has led to cuts in the number of admissions at 10 city primary schools.
Birley Spa and Reignhead Primary will both be cut from 60 to 30, Concord Junior, Lowedges Primary and Wincobank NI all go from 60 to 45, Deepcar St John’s Junior moves from 73 to 60, Nether Green Infant drops from 75 to 60, Pipworth Primary goes from 82 to 60, and Rainbow Forge Primary and Windmill Hill Primary will both be reduced from 54 to 45.
The proposals will be discussed next Tuesday (February 4) at a meeting of Sheffield City Council’s education children and families policy committee. The meeting will also be asked to approve the closure of the nursery at Springfield Primary School in Broomhall because of falling demand for places.
The committee will be discussing admissions arrangements rules for 2026/27, which remain mainly unchanged from previous years.
The priorities for new pupils getting their first choice of primary school are:
- Children in care or previously in care;
- Children who live in a school catchment area with an older sibling at the school;
- Attendance at a linked infant school for entry to junior school;
- Children who live in a school catchment area;
- Children who live outside the catchment area with a sibling at that school.
Secondary school pupils get priority if they went to a feeder primary school.
Tie-breaker rules involve exceptional medical, social or special educational needs and distance from the school.
A report to the committee says that 98.87% of the 2024/25 primary school intake pupils obtained a place at one of their three preferred schools, of which 94.53% were allocated their first preference.
In secondary schools 97.84% of pupils were allocated one of their three preferred choices, of which 90.43% were first preference.