Why do population trends matter? Because the starting point for any school funding calculation is the number of pupils at a school. A local authority with a falling population will find itself dealing with surplus places. One with an increasing population will need to look at increasing provision.
The map shows the level of occupancy in schools—that is the number of actual pupils as a percentage of the number of pupils a school can admit.
Scroll down for illustrations of overall population trends for Bridgend.
Population by year 1991–2018
Left scale/blue: Bridgend
Right scale/black: Wales
Population by age group and year
Note that the school age population has not risen since 1991, though the overall population has. The Bridgend population is ageing—the proportion of the population aged over 65 now outnumbers the 0-15 age group.
