Why the number of children starting school in Wakefield is about to fall dramatically and what it could mean

A sharp decline in the UK's birth rate saw 10 per cent fewer babies born in 2018 than in 2012.

The result has been a visible drop in the numbers of children starting their primary education in many parts of the country.

In Wakefield however, the falling birth rate has been offset by a rise in the number of families moving to the district. A report last week said that the local population has seen its biggest growth since the 1990s.

But the council's audit committee was told on Monday that the impact of fewer children will soon be felt, with some local schools unlikely to be filled to capacity.

Athough this may lead to less pressure on the education system, there are concerns that the district's better schools will thrive at the expense of those that are already struggling, because there will be less demand for spaces.

Council officer Tara Fawdington said: "Just as we've had to react to growing numbers in schools before, now we have to react to a fall, and it's quite a steep fall.

"We will have to work hard as the tide turns.

"In Wakefield, housing growth has really buffered the fall. We should have seen that fall a couple of years ago really, but we didn't."

The meeting was told that Wakefield Council places less emphasis on parents' preferred choices than other authorities when handing out school places to children.

Ms Fawdington said other factors were taken into account to ensure schools of the same size are taking a roughly similar number of pupils.

Despite that, around 91 per cent of parents in the district got their child into their first choice primary school last year.

She added: "If we recognised parental preference more, we'd be growing the schools that already popular, to the detriment of schools that aren't as favoured."

Local Democracy Reporting Service