Proposals to redraw school catchment areas and cut admission numbers have been roundly rejected by people responding to a Brighton and Hove City Council survey. The results were published two weeks before the council’s cabinet is due to discuss what to do as pupil numbers fall. The council has been trying to reduce the number of surplus reception class places at primary schools since 2019.
And from September 2026, secondary school admissions are expected to start falling too. The survey set out three broad proposals and a series of questions – and more than 2,400 responded over three weeks last month. Now, the council has published the survey results.
Option A proposed changing the six current catchments. Option B proposed four catchment areas instead of six. And option C had eight catchments, one for each secondary school.
For option A, 30.5 per cent of the 2,440 people who responded (744) strongly disagreed, 9.6 per cent (23) disagreed, 16.
3 per cent (398) neither disagreed or agreed, 20 per cent (489) agreed and 23.5 per cent (574) strongly agreed. For option B, 55.
1 per cent (1,345) strongly disagreed, 8.1 per cent (197) disagreed, 9.5 per cent (231) neither disagreed or agreed, 10.
3 per cent (252) agreed, and 17 per cent (415) strongly agreed. For option C 50.2 per cent (1,225) strongly disagreed, 15.
6 per cent (380) disagreed, 16.1 per cent (393) neither disagreed or agreed, 10.8 per cent (262) agreed and 7.
3 per cent (178) strongly agreed. The council also proposed.
