Proposed changes to school admissions approved
A council has approved plans to change school admission arrangements in an attempt to address falling pupil numbers in Brighton.
The changes include reserving up to 5% of admission places in each of the city's community secondary schools for children from single-school catchment areas and prioritising children eligible for free school meals, up to 30% of admissions.
Labour-led Brighton & Hove City Council voted through the changes with support from some Greens and independent councillors, while the Conservatives voted against the recommendations.
The proposed changes will affect children starting in year seven in September 2026.
Deputy council leader Jacob Taylor said admission arrangements in Brighton & Hove had been largely unchanged for the past 18 years.
"These carefully considered decisions will allow us to build a better future for children and young people in Brighton and Hove," he said.
The authority will be changing the published admission numbers (PANs) at Longhill High School from 270 to 210, at Blatchington Mill School from 330 to 300 and at Dorothy Stringer School from 330 to 300, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
It will also amend the catchment area boundaries for Longhill High, Dorothy Stringer School and Varndean School.
Four preferences, rather than three, would be offered when applying for a secondary school place.
Conservative councillor Anne Meadows said: "We understand the need to reduce places as the number of children going to our schools is declining.
"The 30% for each school to take free school meals children, plus an additional 5% as part of the open admissions, is premature, impetuous and rash."
Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.
School admissions changes to go before councillors
Parents protest over school intake changes
Schools plan may leave 200 pupils without places
Brighton and Hove City Council
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Who is leading the criminal mobs in Gaza that are armed by Israel?
Yasser Abu Shabab's Popular Force militia might get Israeli support as the fight for Gaza intensifies Yasser Abu Shabab has been named as the leader of a Palestinian militia in Gaza that Israeli officials have reportedly armed to attempt to undermine Hamas, the New York Times reported on Friday. Abu Shabab, a Bedouin man in his 30s, leads the Popular Forces, a crime group in Gaza that is significantly smaller than Hamas. On Thursday, Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman claimed on Kan Reshet Bet that Israel is arming crime families and militias in Gaza to fight Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office did not deny Liberman's claim, and defended his decision. 'What's bad about it?' he said, as reported by the New York Times. 'It's only good and it only saves the lives of Israel Defense Force soldiers.' A Thursday press release from the Prime Minister's Office stated: 'Israel is working to defeat Hamas through various means, as recommended by all heads of the security establishment.' A video posted on Wednesday showed Abu Shabab telling the people of Rafah to return home, and said that food, medicine, and shelter would be provided. He then said he and his forces were working under 'Palestinian legitimacy,' a phrase that the report noted the Palestinian Authority often uses. However, analysts interviewed by the New York Times claim that the government is arming groups like the Popular Forces in order to avoid a long-term occupation of Gaza or a Palestinian Authority-led government ruling the enclave. 'If you think about who really can be an alternative to Hamas in Gaza, you have two options: either an Israeli military administration or the Palestinian Authority,' said retired Brig. Gen. Shlomo Brom, a former top Israeli military strategist. Brom told the New York Times that given the choices, the Israeli government was looking for 'other solutions.' Abu Shabab has been accused several times of looting aid trucks in the Gaza Strip by aid truck drivers and international humanitarian officials. Senior UN official Georgios Petropoulos once called him 'the self-styled power broker of east Rafah,' according to the report. In an interview quoted in the report, Abu Shabab said that he did not raid the trucks, and instead asserted that he was feeding his community. 'We are taking trucks so we can eat, not so we can sell,' he said, accusing Hamas of stealing aid. The Popular Forces also said that it had safeguarded aid trucks entering the enclave. 'We confirm that 92 trucks were secured and entered areas under the protection of our popular forces, and exited safely under our supervision,' a post from the criminal grou reads. Liberman originally claimed that the Palestinian groups were affiliated with ISIS. The New York Times report did not mention these claims. The Yisrael Beytenu leader also said that the matter did not pass cabinet approval, and said that he did not know if the IDF was aware of the operation. 'In my opinion, this did not pass cabinet approval,' he said. 'This was with the knowledge of the head of the Shin Bet [Israel Security Agency], but I don't know how much the [IDF] chief of staff was privy to the matter. Amichai Stein contributed to this report.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Jacksonville LGBTQ+ advocate ‘disgusted' by local Republican club Facebook post
LGBTQ+ advocates respond with outrage after a Facebook post from a local Republican group appeared to tie Pride Month to notorious criminals, including serial killers and sex offenders. The post, shared by the Mandarin Republican Club, included the caption: 'Happy Pride Month. So glad our Acosta Bridge was lit in their honor.' Below were images of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky, and a Georgia couple convicted of sexually assaulting their children. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Also included in the post was a photo of Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan with Andrew Gillum, a former Florida gubernatorial candidate who was involved in a sex scandal but never faced any criminal charges. LGBTQ+ community leader James Eddy called the post offensive and hateful. 'In this day and age, people on Facebook feel like they can put anything,' Eddy said. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] 'It's sad that it came from the Republican Party.' Eddy said he 'really was disgusted… the fact that you associate Pride—because they said 'Happy Pride' in it—with pictures of like Jeffrey Dahmer.' The post appeared to criticize a peaceful protest where supporters lit up the Acosta Bridge with flashlights. That protest was in response to a state ban on lighting public structures in specific colors, which LGBTQ+ advocates believe targets Pride celebrations. 'You know, when something is taken away, you try to fight against it,' Eddy added. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] After Action News Jax began asking questions, the post was deleted. The Duval County Republican Party responded with a statement: 'We did not push it out. We did not approve it. We did not sanction it.' Attempts to contact the head of the Mandarin Republican Club were unsuccessful. The mayor's office declined to comment. As of now, it is still unclear who within the Mandarin Republican Club was responsible for the post. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Wagner Group announces withdrawal from Mali
The Wagner mercenary group announced on June 6 that it was withdrawing its presence from Mali, ending its fight with rebel groups. "Mission accomplished. Private Military Company Wagner returns home," the group, founded by the late Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced on social media. Wagner mercenaries have been fighting alongside Malian government forces since 2021, in attempts to fend off Islamic insurgents. The group said that it was ending its presence as "all regional capitals have returned to the control of the legitimate government," providing little rationale for the group's exit from the war-torn nation. Wagner mercenaries and Malian soldiers have reportedly suffered heavy losses in their engagements with Tuareg-led rebels. The Russian mercenary group, known for its deployment in Ukraine and short-lived rebellion against the Kremlin in 2023, has a strong presence across the African continent, backing Russian business interests and Moscow-friendly regimes. The mercenaries have been particularly active in Mali since late 2021 and has been of perpetrating war crimes and widespread looting. In December 2024, Human Rights Watch accused Wagner mercenaries and Malian government forces of deliberately killing 32 civilians. The so-called "Africa Corps," under the command of Russia's Defense Ministry, who fought alongside Wagner mercenaries, will continue to have an active presence in Mali. Mali broke diplomatic ties with Ukraine over its alleged support of Tuareg-led rebels without providing any evidence of direct cooperation. The step was taken after comments by Andrii Yusov, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) spokesperson, about the rebels receiving "useful information, and not just that, which allowed them to carry out a successful military operation against Russian war criminals." Ukraine's Foreign Ministry later denied the country's involved with rebel groups. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Russia hits Ukraine with large-scale attack days after Operation Spiderweb; Ukraine targets Russian air bases in 'preemptive strike' We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
