The number of places on offer at the county’s 33 grammar schools is likely to have to drop as a falling birth rate leads to a general decline in demand for secondary school places, according to the politician in charge of Kent’s schools.

Cllr Mark Dance, KCC cabinet member for schools, has also confirmed some grammars could be re-located and moved to shared sites as part of wider re-organisation plans already under discussion.

Despite their popularity and the fact that some are heavily over-subscribed, Kent - like other areas - is seeing a decline in the birth rate, which is impacting on school numbers.

The authority has already announced plans for Thanet’s two grammars - Clarendon House and Chatham House in Ramsgate - to move on to the same site, a decision that will see the intake fall to about 180 from 225 a year.

Now discussions are underway about similar plans for Dover’s two grammar schools and there could be similar moves affecting Gravesham’s two selective schools.

Cllr Dance stressed no grammars were under threat and downplayed the suggestion there would be mergers.

But he said any drop in pupil numbers generally would have to be reflected when KCC bid for Government money to rebuild and redevelop all secondary schools under its Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, he said.

“We are talking to the Government about a series of schools but I cannot predict anything. [Relocation] is a distinct possibility but there is a lot of movement out there.”

KCC had to “plan an appropriate level of provision for the long-term needs of the area,” and any reduction in grammar places would “maintain the proportion of selective and non-selective places at approximately the same level,” he said.

Mergers were not part of the discussions but arrangements in which schools might be “federated” were possible, he added.

The Government has denied using the BSF programme to put pressure on areas with selective schools, saying it is up to councils how to deal with falling birth rates.