Admission Arrangements Consultation (Closed).
Outcome of Consultation to reduce the Pupil Admission Number from 90 to 60 as from September 2026.
We received one objection to this proposal from Derby City Council who requested that we considered moving to a PAN of 75 to ensure that the Planning Area had enough surplus places.
We received no other objections.
Chellaston Infant School consulted on a proposal to reduce the Pupil Admission Number (PAN) from 90 to 60 due to declining pupil numbers and financial constraints. Historical and current projections show that the school has consistently accommodated all children from its catchment area who applied to the school, with numbers remaining below the published PAN. This year, there are 47 first-choice applications, 35 of which are from within the catchment area.
Local Authority data confirms that all but one school in the planning area remain below PAN, with 400 places available and only 234 first-choice applications for September 2025. Even with the proposed reduced PAN, there would still be a 25% surplus in the area.
The school is currently required to employ three full-time teachers to meet infant class size regulations, creating financial pressures and limiting support staff resources. Reducing the PAN to 75 would require mixed-age classes, necessitating curriculum restructuring, which could affect educational standards. Given the school’s current OFSTED status and declining numbers, reducing PAN to 60 is the most practical and sustainable solution.
The Governing Body considered all the above and made the decision to reduce the PAN to 60, as from the academic year 2026-2027. Admissions Arrangements were determined at a meeting of the governing body on 20th January 2025.
