Infant class size
By law, infant classes (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2) can have no more than 30 pupils for each qualified teacher during the school day.
This limit does not include:
- School assemblies
- Music lessons
- Drama lessons
- Sports lessons
In some rare cases, a school may take extra children if there are exceptional circumstances.
Schools can read the full rules on the Department for Education website, and the council is happy to answer questions.
Growth fund
The growth fund helps:
- Open new schools through the local authority "free school presumption" process
- Support existing schools that need to add extra places because of basic need in the county
It cannot be used for schools that are in financial difficulty or schools that simply want to grow because they are popular.
The criteria for using the fund were agreed with:
- The Schools Forum
- The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA)
Both maintained schools and academies can apply if they meet the criteria. Schools may receive growth funding before their Published Admission Number (PAN) officially increases.
Schools can receive funding for:
- Planned growth
- Exceptional growth
This depends on when the need for extra places is identified. The council can discuss any questions.
Significant changes to maintained schools
Maintained schools and their governing bodies must follow a statutory process when they want to make large, permanent changes to the school buildings (lasting more than 3 years).
The rules apply when the change will increase capacity by:
- More than 30 pupils, and
- 25%, or
- 200 pupils (whichever number is smaller)
The process must also be followed if a temporary enlargement that meets these thresholds is being made permanent.
The council will work with the school, the governing body, and other partners to support the process and delivery of the project.
Significant changes to academies
Academies must follow their own statutory guidance when making major changes.
A significant change includes:
- Increasing the size of the school so it can take more than 30 extra pupils
- Altering the building layout to fit more pupils
Depending on the scale of the change, the academy may:
- Use a fast‑track process, or
- Submit a full business case to the Regional Schools Commissioner
Net capacities
Net capacity is the method used to work out how many pupils a school can take. It provides a clear and consistent way of assessing school capacity and helps identify whether a school has spare places or needs more in the future.
A net capacity assessment includes:
- Using the net area of all school buildings to calculate the number of available pupil places
- Applying the method to all mainstream community, voluntary aided, voluntary controlled, foundation schools and academies
- Using capacity figures set out in academy funding agreements for academy and free schools
Local authorities must:
- Keep an accurate, signed copy of each school’s net capacity assessment
- Report this information each year to the Department for Education as part of the annual capacity survey (SCAP)
Schools must:
- Inform the council of any changes to their buildings or accommodation, as these may change the school’s net capacity and affect future planning for school places