Little Change Expected in Admission Numbers for Hertfordshire Primary Schools in Year 2020/21

While Local Planning Authorities - usually District or Borough Councils - up and down the UK are being required to plan for drastically increased housing numbers to 2036, Hertfordshire education planners, who work on tighter timeframes and use birth numbers as reported by the NHS, do not foresee any drastic changes in primary school numbers in the immediate future.

The Published Admission Numbers (PANs) for primary schools for 2020/21, which were recently consulted on, show hardly any changes. Only 5 changes were originally proposed. One was an increase at Edwinstree (Voluntary Controlled) Middle School near Buntingford. The other four were all reductions at (a) Margaret Wix Primary, St Albans (from 60 to 30); (b) Holywell JMI, Watford (from 90 to 60); (c) Shepherd JMI and Nursery, Rickmansworth (from 60 to 30) and (d) Jenyns First School, Braughing (from 21 to 15)

However the situation is complicated by a high proportion of schools (including primary schools) being either Academies or controlled by Multi-Academy Trusts or Free Schools. Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) was a Local Education Authority until 2010 when these were abolished. With regard to education HCC then became a "Local Authority with Educational Responsibilities" since it is still resposible for community schools (i.e. not "academies" or "free"), for the provision of Special Educational Needs (which is grossly under-resourced everywhere) and it remains the "educator of last resource" with a legal responsibility to ensure every child in the county does actually receive an education.

Some primary schools of local significance, with their current PANs and the PANs for 2020/21 are:

Abbots Langley, Abbotts Langley; 2019 PAN 60, 2020 PAN 60
Tanners Wood JMI, Abbotts Langley; 2019 PAN 60, 2020 PAN 60
Aldbury CoE Primary, Aldbury; 2019 PAN 15, 2020 PAN 15
Bridgewater Primary, Berkhamsted; 2019 PAN 60, 2020 PAN 60
Greenway Primary, Berkhamsted; 2019 PAN 30, 2020 PAN 30
Swing Gate Lane Infants & Nursery; Berkhamsted; 2019 PAN 60, 2020 PAN 60
Westfield Primary & Nursery, Berkhamsted; 2019 PAN 30, 2020 PAN 30
Boxmoor Primary, Hemel Hempstead; 2019 PAN 30, 2020 PAN 30
Chorleywood Primary, Chorleywood; 2019 PAN 30, 2020 PAN 30
The Russell, Chorleywood; 2019 PAN 30, 2020 PAN 30
Harvey Road Primary, Croxley; 2019 PAN 30, 2020 PAN 30
Little Green Junior, Croxley; 2019 PAN 90, 2020 PAN 90
Malvern Way Infant & Nursery, Croxley; 2019 PAN 90, 2020 PAN 90
York Mead Primary, Croxley; 2019 PAN 60, 2020 PAN 60
Gaddesden Row JMI, Hemel Hempstead; 2019 PAN 8, 2020 PAN 8
Aycliffe Drive Primary, Hemel Hempstead; 2019 PAN 45, 2020 PAN 45
Belswains Primary, Hemel Hempstead; 2019 PAN 30, 2020 PAN 30
Brockswood Primary, Hemel Hempstead; 2019 PAN 30, 2020 PAN 30
Chaulden Infant & Nursery, Hemel Hempstead; 2019 PAN 50, 2020 PAN 50
Gade Valley JMI & Nursery, Hemel Hempstead; 2019 PAN 30, 2020 PAN 30
Galley Hill Primary & Nursery, Hemel Hempstead; 2019 PAN 60, 2020 PAN 60
George Street Primary, Hemel Hempstead; 2019 PAN 30, 2020 PAN 30
Hobbs Hill Wood Primary, Hemel Hempstead; 2019 PAN 60, 2020 PAN 60
Hobletts Manor Junior, Hemel Hempstead; 2019 PAN 60, 2020 PAN 60
Hobletts Manor Infant & Nursery, Hemel Hempstead; 2019 PAN 60, 2020 PAN 60
Holtsmere End Infant & Nursery, Hemel Hempstead; 2019 PAN 60, 2020 PAN 60
Holtsmere End Junior, Hemel Hempstead; 2019 PAN 60, 2020 PAN 60
Maple Grove Primary, Hemel Hempstead; 2019 PAN 30, 2020 PAN 30
Micklem Primary, Hemel Hempstead; 2019 PAN 30, 2020 PAN 30
Pixies Hill JMI, Hemel Hempstead; 2019 PAN 30, 2020 PAN 30
The Reddings Primary, Hemel Hempstead; 2019 PAN 30, 2020 PAN 30
South Hill Primary, Hemel Hempstead; 2019 PAN 60, 2020 PAN 60
Tudor JMI, Hemel Hempstead; 2019 PAN 60, 2020 PAN 60
Two Waters Primary, Hemel Hempstead; 2019 PAN 30, 2020 PAN 30
Yew Tree Primary, Hemel Hempstead; 2019 PAN 60, 2020 PAN 60
Kings Langley Primary, Kings Langley; 2019 PAN 60, 2020 PAN 60
Shepherd JMI & Nursery, Rickmansworth; 2019 PAN 60, 2020 PAN 30
Arnett Hills JMI, Rickmansworth; 2019 PAN 30, 2020 PAN 30
Maple Cross JMI, Rickmansworth; 2019 PAN 30, 2020 PAN 30
Rickmansworth Park JMI, Rickmansworth; 2019 PAN 30, 2020 PAN 30
Sarratt CoE Voluntary Controlled, Sarratt; 2019 PAN 26, 2020 PAN 26
Margaret Wix Primary, St Albans; 2019 PAN 60, 2020 PAN 30
Dundale Primary & Nursery, Tring; 2019 PAN 30, 2020 PAN 30
Goldfield Infant & Nursery, Tring; 2019 PAN 60, 2020 PAN 60
Holywell JMI, Watford; 2019 PAN 90, 2020 PAN 60

Hertfordshire County Council figures show that 97% of Primary School pupils start school in the parents' first choice school and 94% of secondary pupils likewise.