Number of empty places in Northumberland schools tops 12,000 due to low birth rate

The new figure represents a 2% rise on last year, with low birth rates being the key driving factor.

Surplus places are an issue for schools as they are provided with funding per pupil, meaning lower numbers can cause financial difficulties for the worst-affected schools. The impact is disproportionately felt in rural areas, particularly at small schools.

While the birth rate in Northumberland increased by 0.9% between 2021 and 2024, the county’s general fertility rate – the number of live births per 1,000 women of childbearing age – is just 48.8 – significantly lower than the average for England and Wales at 54.1.

A report presented to Northumberland County Council’s Family and Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee warned that the “viability and sustainability” of some of these schools would be at risk.

The council’s head of schools organisation Sue Aviston said: “There is a continuing, steady decline in the birth rate. It is having quite a significant impact in some partnerships on the number of surplus places in some buildings.

“It is important because there are financial implications on our schools. It continues to be a challenge for us, particularly further north and further west.”

“What has been quite helpful in Northumberland is our schools are quite popular. Children from other local authorities do attend them, but just as our overall school population is declining, the number of children coming in from other local authorities is declining – it has fallen from 7% to 5.5%.

“Other local authorities are also seeing a decrease in the birth rate.”

The Haydon Bridge partnership of schools, which covers a huge rural area up to the north of Kielder and down to the county’s southern border with Durham and Cumbria, has a 50% surplus rate. The Berwick partnership is at around 30%, although there is hope the ongoing £50 million upgrades and reorganisation could boost numbers in the future.

Former headteacher Alan Hodgson said: “We know the trend is one-way. We’re dropping 2% a year.

“In certain partnerships, that will be greater and the impact on individual schools is going to be greater. We’re going to have staffing implications and putting year groups together.

“With those things, there is an impact on attainment and standards. At the end of the day, children are going to be affected.”

However, it is not just rural areas that are seeing growing numbers of empty places.

Cramlington councillor Wayne Daley pointed out: “You look at Cramlington – it has the highest number of new builds anywhere in the county, yet the birth rate has gone down. There are different pressures.

“This is part of a much bigger conversation around what we can do to support that. Most people would think if you build more houses, you have more kids.

“If people are buying expensive houses, they can’t always afford to have more children and have one person off for a year or two for childcare without it significantly impacting their lifestyle and their mortgage."