Summary of proposals

West Sussex County Council propose to reduce the Published Admission Numbers (PAN) at the following Community and Controlled schools with effect from 1 September 2027

Bersted Green Primary Primary School, Bognor Regis

Swiss Gardens Primary School, Shoreham-By-Sea

Upper Beeding Primary School, Upper Beeding, Steyning

East Preston Infant School, East Preston, Littlehampton

The Meads Primary School, East Grinstead

In addition, we would welcome your views on our proposed admission arrangements and oversubscription criteria (Community and Voluntary Controlled schools) for September 2027 entry, as well as key dates in the admissions process.

Introduction

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) has a statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for all children but also take action to reduce places where there are too many. The above schools have considered projected pupil numbers and have approached the Local Authority with regards to reducing their PAN(s). Indications from demographic data suggest that there will be a surplus of places across the areas that these schools currently serve.

Need for change

Reducing the number of surplus places will help all schools come closer to achieving full classes and therefore reduce their financial risks, ensuring that they have the resources they require to meet the needs of their children.

The proposal

Reduce Bersted Green Primary School from a PAN for Reception of 60 to a PAN of 30

Reduce Swiss Gardens Primary School from a PAN for Reception of 60 to a PAN of 30

Reduce Upper Beeding Primary School from a PAN for Reception of 45 to a PAN of 30

Reduce East Preston Infant School from a PAN for Reception of 90 to a PAN of 60

Reduce The Meads Primary School from a PAN for Reception of 45 to a PAN of 30

The formal consultation will take place over an eight week period (24 November 2025 - 16 January 2026). At the end of this period, and following analysis of the comments received, the outcome will be determined by Claire Hayes, Assistant Director of Education and Skills, Children, Young People and Learning.

Representations

If you would like to comment or make a representation in response to this consultation then please email the School Consultation team at schoolconsultations@westsussex.gov.uk

Accessibility Statement

If you require any of the information for this project in an alternative format, please contact us on 0330 222 8543 or via email at schoolconsultations@westsussex.gov.uk and we will do our best to assist you. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and have an NGT texting app installed on your computer, laptop or smartphone, you can contact us on 18001 0330 2228543.

For more information about the accessibility of this website, please see our Accessibility tab (opens in new window) at the foot of the page.

Please note, you can use the Google Translate function to access this project in a range of different languages. The Google Translate widget can be found at the top left-hand side of the project page, where it sits just above the black West Sussex County Council ribbon.

Survey web browser compatibility

Please use one of the browsers below when completing the survey to ensure it looks and works as it should. These are:

· Microsoft Edge version 86 and above

· Chrome version 86 and above

· Firefox version 78 and above

· Safari version 14 and above