FOUR primary schools in York are set to see a cut in the number of pupils they will welcome in the 2011/12 academic year.

And one of the city’s secondary schools is looking to increase its Year 7 intake as education bosses prepare to assess head teachers’ plans for the future.

A report to City of York Council’s executive member for children and young people’s services, Coun Carol Runciman, also shows another primary school is hoping to take in five more pupils from September 2011 than it does at the moment because of rising demand for places in its catchment area.

The proposals, which are recommended for approval by the Local Admissions Forum – the Government-backed body that scrutinises admission arrangements in local schools. They would mean 50 fewer pupil places in reception classes across the four schools where a reduction in numbers is likely.

The council has proposed that Clifton Green, Haxby Road and St Barnabas’ CE primary schools should cut the length of their pupil rolls to prevent “overcrowding”, while a reduction of 15 pupils has been recommended for Burton Green Primary School. At the same time, Ralph Butterfield Primary School is expected to see an increase of five pupils, while Fulford School is set to admit eight more Year 7 children – taking its intake from 200 to 208 – although its Year 12 arrangements would remain the same.

All other schools in York have applied to stay at their current pupil levels.

It follows a consultation process which ran from last December until February, and a report by the Forum said: “Burton Green Primary is currently experiencing relatively high levels of surplus and a number of classrooms have recently been taken out of commission in order to reduce the capacity of the school, which now stands at 210. The school are in agreement with the proposed reduction, but recognise there may be a need to review the admission arrangements again in the future should demand begin to increase, as projected.”

It also said reducing Clifton Green’s numbers would benefit Burton Green, as the former currently attracts “significant” numbers of pupil’s from the latter’s catchment area, and that St Barnabas’ admission levels were “currently too high for the physical capacity of the school”.