School blocked from cutting intake after adjudicator rejects plan

The Winsford Academy has been refused permission to reduce its year 7 intake by a quarter after the national schools adjudicator upheld a challenge from Cheshire West and Chester Council.

The decision means the Halliard Trust must maintain the school’s published admission number at 240 for September 2026.

The trust had sought to cut the figure to 180, arguing that fluctuating pupil numbers, rising staffing pressures and the risk of what it described as a “catastrophic” £2m deficit made the reduction necessary. It said unfunded growth in later years could expose the school to serious financial instability if numbers rose again after staff had been recruited to meet a higher intake .

But the adjudicator found the move would leave the council unable to meet its duty to provide sufficient secondary places in the Winsford area.

Forecasts for 2027, 2028 and 2029 show higher demand than 180 places, and the academy has the physical capacity for 1,312 pupils – enough to support an annual intake of 240 without expansion, the decision said.

The ruling also noted that reductions in recent year 7 numbers were influenced by increased capacity at other nearby secondary schools, rather than any clear long-term fall in local demand. Keeping the lower figure in place would risk children being transported to schools more than three miles away, costing the council an estimated £60,000 a year in additional travel support .

The adjudicator said the trust’s educational rationale – that a smaller intake could provide stability and support improvement after recent “requires improvement” judgements – carried some weight. However, this did not outweigh the wider requirement to maintain local sufficiency or the binding agreement signed in 2024 that linked council capital funding to a permanent intake of 240 pupils.

The trust must now revise its admission arrangements within two months.