Primary schools facing falling pupil numbers are being let down by a lack of support as their funding drops along with student headcount, a Lords committee has warned.

A cross-party group was set up earlier this year to examine the challenge, with up to a third fewer babies born in parts of Yorkshire.

Now, in a letter to Education Minister Georgia Gould, members warn Government support is failing to manage the challenge.

New guidance should try to avoid school mergers or closures, they warn, learning lessons from primary level before it turns to secondary.

Children skip and play hop scotch during playtime. Image: PA

placeholder image — Children skip and play hop scotch during playtime. Image: PA

Lord Bradley, committee chairman, said birth rates have been falling for years, and it is "unsurprising" that school rolls are also dipping.

"This is an issue that the Government should have seen coming," he said. "The issue is not just one that has an impact on education and schools in general, it is an issue that produces wider socio-economic consequences for everyone."

The committee had been told of measures to address the issue, he said, but members "remain unconvinced" that it’s under control.

"Schools and local authorities need comprehensive guidance and necessary support so that any decisions made as a result of falling enrolment are developed with a view to minimising the effect on the quality of education children receive," he warned.

The inquiry found pupil numbers were falling even before the pandemic, and are forecast to continue dropping for the rest of the decade.

Falling fertility and birth rates, cost of living pressures and families moving to more affordable rural areas are all major factors, it found.

But the impact on schools – most notably smaller, rural ones – can be significant because funding is tied to a per-pupil basis.

The impact is wider than primary schools, members warn, with higher transport costs for pupils to travel further afield, then fewer staff, mixed age classes and less activity funding.

And when it comes to closing a school, these decisions are made largely on cost factors, rather than the affect on communities.

Earlier this year, The Yorkshire Post revealed a worrying dip in birthrates for parts of the region, with the number of babies born in York dropping 37 per cent since 2013.

In Calderdale, the birthrate has fallen 30 per cent, while Hull, Kirklees and Leeds have all seen the number of new babies born drop by more than a fifth.

The committee has asked for responses around funding, the social impact on families and young people, and on planned reforms for children with special educational needs.

Lord Bradley said schools were an integral part of any societal system: "The Government needs to address the issues we have raised in our letter and urgently respond to the questions posed so that it can continue to work towards ensuring that education across the country is not compromised.

"It must also begin work now to stave off similar issues with secondary schools in the near future."