School PAN

[Circoloco]

Can anyone tell me how an own admission authority decides their PAN? If it is less than 30 is this challenged at all by the DfE or do they have a free reign to set it as they wish?
TIA

[AuntieStella]

Each school sets its own PAN, which is then implemented by the Admission Authority (which of course can be the school itself).

Sometimes a low number is well justified (eg small village schools - literally small in terms of room size). Sometimes they are just aiming for small class sizes. But of course this can be challenged at appeal. If under 30 for yrs R-2 inclusive, Infant Class Size rules do not apply, and appeals can be won on balance of prejudice (not just error/perverseness).

[Circoloco]

Thanks AuntieStella, we are appealing a school with a pan less than 30, just trying to work out if we can say you picked it in order to keep class sizes more desirable and in theory could take another child

[JWIM]

A note of caution. Is the PAN one where, if year groups are combined in all or part of KS1, the combined class would total 30? If so the ICS rule should still apply. For example PAN of 15 - and the year 1/2 class is therefore limited to max 30 pupils.

[admission]

The PAN is derived from the net capacity calculation for the school. This considers all the space in the school (minus bits that are deemed not to be teaching space) and then uses a calculation to work back to how many pupil places there are in the school. There is a maximum and a minimum figure (90% of the maximum) and the school can then set an agreed net capacity at a sensible figure around these two figures.
An indicative admission number is then established by dividing by 7 for a primary school (7 year groups) and a published admission number agreed around the indicative figure.
Whilst all schools would love to have smaller classes, there is a financial reality to this and small classes are not very viable in the current financial climate.
What is the PAN?

[Circoloco]

50, it's a new academy so not sure it has a net capacity? I've checked the funding agreement which states how many students they can have in the whole school, this adds back up to pan for each year group.

[Circoloco]

And thanks Admission!

[Circoloco]

And JWIM!

[prh47bridge]

With a PAN of 50 it depends how they organise classes. If there are 5 classes covering Reception, Y1 and Y2 it will be an infant class size case. If there are 6 classes (2 per year) it will be an ordinary prejudice case and you will have a better chance of success.

[lougle]

As previous posters have said, a PAN that is less than 30 but when combined with another year group (I.e. Y1 or Y2) to give an infant class size of 30 will still fall under the ICS regulation.

If the PAN gives rise to a class size of less than 30, then it's just a prejudice case. You'd have to show that they can fit another child in without harm to the education of the other pupils, or that the harm to them is less than the harm that not having this school place causes your child.

It doesn't matter why the PAN is what it is. The argument is about whether they can fit your child in.

[Circoloco]

Thanks everyone! There are 6 classes of 25, so 2 per year.
I'm just trying to think of anyway we can weaken the schools case at the moment and then hoping for the best!

[Circoloco]

Lougle is it enough to argue that they can fit another child in without harm to the education of other children there? As opposed to our child needs to go as the harm to them is greater than the school?

[lougle]

The appeals panel has to balance the 'prejudice' (harm) to the school/children vs the prejudice to the child of being denied a place there. The more you can convince the panel that your child needs a place at that school (rather than 'Mum and Dad like the look of it'), the higher the bar is set for the school to show that it would prejudice the education of the other children.

You'd be better to focus on why this school is so essential for your child. So, is it the school that all of his friends from nursery will attend? Is it the school closest to your home so you want him to have local friends? Does it have a particular provision (e.g. after school club) that other schools don't have?

[Circoloco]

Thanks lougle! ????