Schools face pupil ‘bulge’ as numbers set to rise and fall

Swopping teachers between primary and secondary schools may need to be considered as the education system faces a sharp rise in enrolments followed by an equally large decline.

Forecasts for the future needs of schools show the number of primary school pupils reaching a record high in 2018, with the peak to follow in secondary schools in 2025.

The increases are due to the record birth numbers from 2007 to 2012, combined with high immigration pre-recession, but with more people leaving the country than immigrating here and birth numbers back to normal, the impact on schools will be a temporary “bulge”.