blueparrot
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 7 Jun 2012
- Messages
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Don’t expect it’s any different across the UK to where I am but my teacher son was saying schools across Edinburgh are seeing a big drop off in next years Primary 1 intake and cutting classes, put down to a reduced birth rate during Covid. With prospective parents putting off starting families because of the uncertainties and job security. A drop off expected to last 2 or 3 years and feed through the system for years.You're not talking about a single school taking 20%. Most local authorities have more spare capacity than they have private school pupils in total, as they make up a small minority of the overall school population.
In most boroughs 20% of the local private school pupils, would only be a 5% increase in the local state schools.
The spare capacity may not have been there when you were in the state sector, but it is there now, and is expected to grow over the next few years (https://www.ft.com/content/31460ce0-c0ba-4c1d-8006-43cb698234e2).
Your last point is an interesting one, that had occurred to me. I expect the Telegraph will have plenty of parents who do try and move to the state sector, complaining that they can't get into a school. The reality is likely to be that they can get into a school, but they want to get into the best state school in the area. I agree that they may well be disappointed, just as other parents are.
Maybe your FT mentioned it, but can’t see the article.