Devonshire Primary School in Sutton is set to reduce its published admission number from 90 to 60 pupils from September 2027, following a decision by the council's People Committee.
The move comes as the borough experiences a significant demographic shift, with declining birth rates impacting primary school numbers. Jack Cutler, Head of Pupil Based Commissioning, presented the Pupil Place Planning and Capital Update Report, noting that while secondary school demand remains high, primary school numbers are forecast to decline. This forecast is supported by a significant shift in pupil demographics, with 548 fewer births in Sutton in 2024 compared to 2016. While the Sutton Plan forecasts 2,462 net additional dwellings between 2025 and 2030, reduced birth rates mean that the pupil yield from new housing will not offset the underlying decline in pupil numbers. Much of the town centre development consists of one and two-bedroom units, which historically generate relatively low pupil numbers.
Devonshire Primary School, a community school, received 65 offers for its 90 places for September 2026, leaving 25 vacant. This trend is projected to continue, prompting the proposal to reduce the admission number to protect the school's budget and aid local planning. The projected financial implications for Devonshire Primary School if the admission number remains at 90 and the trend of vacant places continues are significant, as the reduction is proposed to protect the school's budget and assist with local planning
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The reduction in the published admission number from 90 to 60 would directly impact class sizes. With 65 offers made for September 2026 against a published admission number (PAN) of 90, a reduction to 60 would mean that the school would be admitting fewer pupils than the number of offers already made for the upcoming academic year, and would aim to fill 60 places in subsequent years.
Councillor Gemma Munday, Chair of the People Committee, stated that the reduction is designed to be easily reversible should future housing or demographic trends require it. The process and timeline for reversing the admission number reduction if demographic trends change are not explicitly detailed but the intention is for it to be easily reversible
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Devonshire Primary School is not alone in facing these challenges. Many local area schools are experiencing declining pupil numbers due to falling birth rates. The council's strategy has shifted from expanding capacity to managing falling rolls to maintain financial viability across local area schools. In recent years, there have already been a number of published admission number reductions in schools where the council is not the admission authority. The strategy for managing surplus places includes options such as reducing Published Admission Numbers (PAN), maximizing pupil numbers, making better use of school sites, collaboration and federation, amalgamation, and as a last resort, school closure.
The decision was made during a People Committee meeting on Thursday, 24 September 2026. The committee also discussed several other matters related to education and social care services within the borough, as detailed in the Public reports pack for the meeting (https://moderngov.sutton.gov.uk/documents/g6355/Public%20reports%20pack%2024th-Sep-2026%2019.00%20People%20Committee.pdf?T=10). These included the People Committee In Year Performance Report, covering adult and children's social care services; the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Update Report, addressing SEN2 data, inspection outcomes, and reform plans; and the Adult Social Care, Care Quality Commission (CQC) Assessment and Improvement Plan Update.
