FALLING birth rates mean that two schools in the Bradford district could soon be reducing the number of pupils they take on each year.

Steeton Primary School and Eldwick Primary School could both see their Pupil Admission Numbers reduced in a bid to keep the two schools “financially stable.”

Although having plenty of available places may not seem like a problem, it can cause a huge financial headache for schools.

A school’s funding is directly related to the number of pupils attending the school, so too many vacancies mean that schools do not receive the maximum possible revenue.

With falling birth rates throughout the District, many schools have reduced their pupil admission numbers in recent years.

A new consultation into pupil numbers at Steeton and Eldwick says if the primary schools do not reduce their pupil numbers, they are likely to “face financial difficulties.”

Eldwick Primary School currently has a PAN of 75 – meaning each year it can take on 75 pupils in its reception year group.

This past year, just 64 reception aged children started at the school – meaning there were 11 vacancies.

Steeton Primary School has a PAN of 45, but just 34 pupils joined in September 2022.

Bradford Council says the school has not reached its PAN since 2016.

The proposal is to reduce the PAN at Steeton Primary School from 45 to 30 from September 2024.

Referring to Steeton Primary, the Council says: “The Council’s forecast information has been used to model the school’s budget over the coming years. This process showed that if the PAN remains at 45 the school is likely to face financial difficulty. The proposed PAN reduction will help to ensure the school is able to maintain a financially stable position over the long-term.”

The Council has raised similar concerns about the pupil numbers at Eldwick School, and plans to reduce the PAN from 75 to 60 in September 2024.

Bradford Council launched a consultation on the planned reductions earlier this month, and people have until December 15 to have their say.

The consultations say: “According to data from the Office of National Statistics, the number of live births nationally fell for five consecutive years up to 2020, with the total number of live births in 2020 being the fewest since 2002.

“A slight increase was seen in 2021 but there were still fewer births than in 2019.”

To take part in either consultation, visit https://bradford.moderngov.co.uk/mgConsultationListDisplay.aspx