Primary Education: Admissions

(asked on 20th April 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of (1) the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, and (2) the COVID-19 pandemic, on demand for primary school places.


Answered by
Baroness Berridge Portrait
Baroness Berridge
This question was answered on 28th April 2021

Between 2010 and 2020, the primary school population grew 17%. The latest national pupil projections show the primary population being projected to decrease steadily throughout the next period.

It is too early to know what impact the COVID-19 outbreak or the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU) may have on demand for primary school places. National offer day for primary school entry in September 2021 was on 16 April 2021 and application preference data is currently being collected from schools and local authorities for publication in June 2021. This will be the first application data collected following the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the COVID-19 outbreak.

The School Capacity Survey 2021 will take place later in the year. This will ask local authorities for pupil forecasts for the next five years. This year, additional guidance has been provided to help local authorities take account of EU Exit and COVID-19 effects, such as migration. Our advisors work closely with local authorities using this data to address capacity shortfalls and surpluses in schools.

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