What are the facts?
There is a national increase in the number of 11 year olds that peaks this year. As a result there are significantly more pupils across the country leaving primary schools to enter secondary than was the case recently and more than are joining primary schools in reception.
Locally, notwithstanding the increase in the number of pupils moving into secondary school, having secured Bohunt Horsham we have in our area more secondary school places than we have pupils seeking a place.
Those places are spread between four Co-Ed schools (Bohunt, Forest, Tanbridge, Weald) and one single-sex girls’ school, Millais.
Despite having more spaces than pupils seeking a space not every pupil has secured one of their three preferred schools.
What has happened on school places this year?
While over 1,260 places were allocated at local schools on the basis of students preferred choices a small number of applicants were not allocated one of their top 3 choices. This is deeply worrying for the pupils and parents concerned. Some boys have been allocated places at their next nearest (non-Horsham or Billingshurst) school. A smaller number of girls have been allocated places at Millais despite applying for three Co-Ed schools.
What do parents do in this circumstance?
I would be grateful if parents impacted who are constituents let me know, while I am not part of the allocation process I recognise this is a very stressful time and I am keen to be aware of individual cases.
I really would encourage parents who are not content with the offered allocation to go through the appeal process.
Last year while not everyone secured one of their top three places all pupils of whom I am aware who were allocated a place outside Horsham/Billingshurst ultimately secured a place in a Horsham/Billingshurst school. This is absolutely no guarantee whatsoever for this year and each independent panel may take a different view but it is certainly worth appealing setting out individual circumstances.
Given the number of places available why has this happened?
All of Bohunt Horsham, Forest and Tanbridge Schools are over-subscribed. Millais is under-subscribed. 170 places have been offered at Millais but a further 130 places are available at the school that have not, at this stage, been applied for or been allocated. This probably under-represents the knock-on impact on the Horsham area as a proportion of the students successfully applying for Millais will be from outside our immediate area and are actively choosing to travel to attend the school because its distinctive ethos and opportunity makes it the right school for them.
The preference for Co-Ed schools and under-subscription at Millais, especially when combined with a national bulge in 11 year olds, puts huge pressure for places on the most popular schools and has led to a small number of students not being offered one of their top 3 choices.
What was done to prevent this happening?
All the local schools have impressively worked together over the last year to ensure that parents have the full opportunity to look at every school. This is not a case of “one size fits all”. Every school in Horsham is a Good or Outstanding school. There is choice and different styles and approaches work for different children. Millais set out its strong case as a unique school in the area and the benefits that they believe all-girl education in general and their school in particular can deliver.
In addition every over-subscribed local school has agreed to take additional pupils this year to maximise the number of places to be allocated initially to local students at their preferred schools.
What happens now?
1. Recent Background
West Sussex County Council is the body responsible for ensuring there are enough places available locally.
I have noted criticism of Forest School going (after consultation) Co-Ed. This is misplaced and unfair. For years Forest as an all-boys school (one of the last two in the County, there are now none) witnessed falling rolls. I absolutely welcome the transformation of the school as a Co-Ed environment and how well received this has been by parents.
2. Next Steps
Given the pattern of applications and the impact of allocations, County, as the body responsible for determining school places, is now consulting on whether to require Millais to go Co-Ed. The results will be known in the summer. Any changes would be introduced for September 2026. If this course is pursued the real worries raised over this year and last would be overcome but at the cost of denying our local area a unique educational proposition that has been very popular in the recent past.
What needs to be done?
In my view:
- The consultation on Millais is appropriate and necessary. We cannot have a situation in which one school is substantially under-subscribed whilst students are not able to achieve a top 3 preferred local place.
- However this must be a proper consultation. While student and parental choices are clearly skewing in favour of Co-Ed there will be prospective secondary school parents who actively want the option of single-sex education. Decisions must be fully and properly considered.
- In parallel to County consulting on whether Millais should move from single-sex to Co-Ed, I also want County to actively consider alternative means to maintain and increase choice - for example the opportunity of expanding one of our extremely popular existing Co-Ed schools. This is clearly pertinent to the Weald which is expected to witness ongoing growth in local demand in any event but consideration should not relate to them exclusively.
The Future?
It is absolutely core to Horsham that we can educate every single local child in one of our Good and Outstanding local schools.
We were under extreme pressure on this in 2016/17 and I am proud that through an exceptionally active and committed campaign I helped secure Bohunt Horsham initially on a temporary location in Horsham and now at its new and very impressive purpose built site.
That recent background explains in part of my frustration with current school allocations.
I welcome and am grateful to all the local schools for their support in the immediate term. County needs to go through a proper process and do so in a timely manner looking at all alternatives.
In the medium term while school rolls are currently falling in many primary schools if we build more houses that will require more schools. That is a simple equation.
As I have made clear I believe the pace of development being proposed by Horsham District Council given local water scarcity is unrealistic and unsustainable.
However I am in no doubt that more houses, if permitted, would require an expansion in all our local services and this will include secondary schools.
Just as I have in the past I will absolutely ensure we get the school expansion we need. We must ensure that every child secures the brilliant local education they all deserve.
