School Place Planning
Councils are addressing changing demand for school places, with falling mainstream rolls but rising needs for specialist provision.
Redbridge Council is developing a School Organisation Strategy to manage changing demand for school places over the next five years, set for Cabinet approval in September 2026. A report to the council noted a national trend of falling birth rates and declining mainstream school rolls, alongside a growing demand for specialist places for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
Westminster City Council's Young People, Learning and Employment Committee scrutinised primary school surplus capacity in September 2025 due to falling school rolls. Schools Forums in Kingston upon Thames and Richmond upon Thames discussed school place planning, financial outturns, and future budgets in June 2026, with Kingston approving its 2026/27 budget setting timetable.
School place planning involves forecasting and managing the availability of school places to meet demand. The Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Panel in Merton discussed departmental priorities in June 2026. Tower Hamlets Council approved updated school admissions policies for the 2025/26 academic year in February 2024.
Key facts
- Redbridge Council is developing a School Organisation Strategy set for Cabinet approval in September 2026. Source
- Redbridge Council noted a growing demand for specialist places for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Source
- Westminster City Council's Young People, Learning and Employment Committee scrutinised primary school surplus capacity in September 2025. Source
About this summary
This summary was written automatically from our published stories and the council meeting records they draw on. It describes what councils have discussed and decided; it does not take a view on any decision. Each key fact links to the story it comes from. Updated 30 September 2026. Spotted a mistake? Email community@opencouncil.network.