Now Cllr Taylor introduces the school admissions proposal. The council plan outlined a vision for an inclusive and fair city where no child is left behind, an aspiration shared by all councillors. The council needs to tackle falling pupil numbers & address attainment for disadvantaged children Addressing open admissions, the council introduced catchments in 2007. They were imperfect and entrenched unfairness. The city has 2 large central areas with 2 schools and 4 areas with 1 school. The proposals will make 5% of places available to those living in the 4 single catchment #LDreporter Cllr Taylor acknowledges concerns & anger from central area parents. In 2026 children in the central #Brighton area will have a 91% chance of a place in their local school. The catchment changes to include Whitehawk in Stringer/Varndean will create balance. No children in Kemptown/Whitehawk walk Admissions reductions are in line with falling pupil numbers. Stringer and Longhill support this but not Blatchington Mill says Cllr Taylor. There have been positives & negatives to the debate. New voices heard & hundreds of parents have supported better outcomes #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove Cllr Taylor believes there is a fair set of proposals for the city and he will work with parents to work together. The city needs to unite and heal the divisions. The proposals are a step forward to a fairer school system. #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove Conservative Anne Meadows puts forward an amendment to pause the 30% free school meals and the open admissions. As data is not in. She understands the need to deal with the reduced admissions but says Labour is social engineering, describing the proposals as impetuous and rash #LDreporter #Brighton Cllr Meadows says the focus should be on supporting schools deal with budget deficits. Open admissions is not based in evidence. The proposals create a lottery system rather than one equal across the city. Travelling to schools has been overlooked in the face of equality #LDreporter #Brighton Loss of friendship groups will compound the issues says Cllr Meadows. We do not know the financial implications of travel costs. Headteachers are concerned about gerrymandering over 30% free school meals. Conservatives do not accept the independent amendment #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove Cllr Taylor challenges Cllr Meadows to provide evidence that Labour has talked down city schools. Cllr Meadows says it is implication. #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove Cllr Carol Theobald seconds the Conservative amendment. Proposals for open admissions seemed designed to provide greater access but under subscribed schools will be less viable. Low pupil numbers are headteachers concerns. Patcham children may not get a place and have to travel some distance Please do not displace children who are not registered for free school meals says Cllr Theobald #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove Cllr Mark Earthey speaks on the #Brighton and #Hove Independents amendments. Education is a right not a privilege he says, he was lucky to have a free education, coming from a modest background and achieving a PHD. We must guarantee equality of access #LDreporter Cllr Earthey says there are polarised opinions, and Cllr Sankey & Cllr Taylor have received attacks. Longhill is the only secondary in their area. He thanks the school for its improvement plan. 65% in the catchment go to another school. We see children in other uniforms. Why is this happening? The school risks becoming stigmatised. People in other areas say they don't want children going to Longhill. If we are sending children across the city because parents don't want Longhill we need to address this. Cllrs Allen and Taylor are poster boys for Longhill. Jacobs should be the benchmark We do not criticse the school's management, we want to understand the 65% and help us understand the parents' perception of Longhill. Cllr Earthey regards the Conservative rejection of the amendment a badge of honour #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove General debate not, and Cllr Ty Goddard speaks first. We should celebrate our schools and teachers. We do not have a perfect geography of schools. The history of school locations is around the 11+. Varndean the grammar and Stringer the secondary modern #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove Cllr Goddard says we lost Comart, this is now about opportunities. This debate is about the young person who went to Varndean open evening but cannot go there. We have to be community champions, listening and compromise. This process has been done with integrity #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove Cllr Goddard pays credit to Parent Support Group, @divideclass.bsky.social and Equity in Education. Now is the time to heal, celebrate all the schools and focus on achievement. He calls on more mentoring #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove Green councillor Raphael Hill is concerned about personal attacks on Labour councillors and condemns them. Cllr Hill supports the proposals. They do not support the independent amendment. They are speaking on SEND. Many SEND children experience sensations in a more intense way and burn out As an autistic person Cllr Hill says they experience these issues. Cllr Hill says EHCP are hard to get. They are concerned that priority 2 has a limit with 7 out of 97 secure places on this. they are supporting parents through this process. #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove Cllr Hill wants more information on support for SEND children, especially those who are masking. A citizens assembly can be a way to bring people together. #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove Conservative Emma Hogan says equity is understood and pupil numbers are falling, hence the group supports PAN reduction. Residents are concerned this has been brought in after limited consultation. Children with SEND need to be considered as they experience added difficulties. #LDreporter Cllr Hogan cites Labour MP Chris Ward's concerns about transport and until data is evaluated Conservatives cannot support this #LDreporter #brighton #Hove Independent councillor Peter Atkinson has read every email. He sees the council's challenge. Change is needed. When he became a councillor in 2014, PACA had been open for 4 years. PACA has gone from strength to strength and is the school of choice. Schools needing improvement should improve Cllr Atkinson is concerned about more movement with young people criss-crossing. These proposals may significantly increase this. He is concerned about the impact on children with SEND. The free school meals at 30% is a good idea. His preference would be review free school meals and improve schools Cllr @huxley06.bsky.social speaks for parents of children with SEND. There are parents who passionately support and oppose. Amaze and PaCC were asked to organise events. Respondants were unclear about how to use priority 2. Communication is being revised from this autumn #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove We need to review home to school transport. For parents of SEND children transition is daunting says @huxley06.bsky.social She will continue to offer secondary transition surgeries. She believes the proposals have balanced competing points of view #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove Green councillor @kerrypickettbh.bsky.social says the consultation has failed to create a cohesive policy and split parents into factions. The questions were steered towards an outcome. The process had a sense of being undemocratic. It will cause harm to some children. #Brighton #Hove #LDreporter Parents have been in tears about how their children will cope with travel. This will put more children at risk of harm and disadvantage. Parents of children with send needs schools they will feel safe in says @kerrypickettbh.bsky.social There needs to be national reform #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove We need more time and thought to provide an excellent plan. All #Brighton and #Hove children deserve better says @kerrypickettbh.bsky.social #LDreporter Having been a school governor for 17 years @samerb.bsky.social he has learned a lot. Schools have supported children. there is a strong link between absence and attainment. Long journeys impact on absence. Families can choose school outside catchment. Dual school areas do not provide choice Some schools are more popular than others. Free school meals and open allocations will shift children rather than smoothing across the city but we don't know the data yet says @samerb.bsky.social In primary schools where shifts have happened staff have left posts #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove We should look at pressure on school transport and the bus companies lack of perceived lack of capacity says Independent councillor @samerb.bsky.social He will not support the proposals and wants to hear more from others. #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove Schools are in the wrong place, it's historical says Green councillor Sue Shanks. In 2007 when catchments were made councillors resigned and random allocation created. School is not a choice it's a preference. Greens would see smaller schools and no Ofsted #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove City centre children all need to travel to school because there is no secondary. This is about inequality and poverty says Cllr Shanks. When she was first involved in politics in the 1970s poverty was an issue and now it's worse. She is impressed with @divideclass.bsky.social #LDreporter Cllr Shanks is pleased to hear the voices of those who are often not heard in the north and east of the city. She is for it, and voting with the administration who she sees as listening. Greens are not whipped on their vote #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove Newly independent councillor Bruno De Oliveira says education is a privilege. He came from a deprived background and education brought him a BA, MA and PHD. the choice today is between the powerful and the powerless. He supports the proposals and the unheard #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove Cllr De Oliveira says all children are equal and some are more equal than others. Is that where we are at? Justice should not be our goal but our starting point #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove Cllr Jacob Taylor thanks all councillors for their debate and the Greens and Independents for their support for the policies. There is a lot of ongoing work on budgets in the context of falling pupil numbers following 14 years of Conservative austerity #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove On Cllr Earthey's request the Longhill board is addressing improvements. On sibling link this may be on next year's consultation. This is not the September 2026 schools or transport strategy. Cllr Taylor says councillors need to work together to support SEND families. #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove Cllr Anne Meadows asks for a recorded vote. The response is unanimous in support #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove The independent amendment is lost #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove The Conservative amendment is lost #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove The proposals go through by 38 votes for, 1 abstention and 11 against #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove The meeting is now closed. Budget council starts in 35 minutes #LDreporter #Brighton #Hove @unroll.skywriter.blue unroll