Question:
As you will be aware a number of children in Wokingham Without were unable to get into a local secondary school this September. Some were offered places as far away as Oakbank at the other end of the Borough, and Yateley. There is pressure on secondary school places in the south of the Borough generally.
What are you doing to ensure there are enough places for all our children closer to their homes in the south of the Borough, and specifically in Wokingham Without?
Minutes:
As you will be aware a number of children in Wokingham Without were unable to get into a local secondary school this September. Some were offered places as far away as Oakbank at the other end of the Borough, and Yateley. There is pressure on secondary school places in the south of the Borough generally.
What are you doing to ensure there are enough places for all our children closer to their homes in the south of the Borough, and specifically in Wokingham Without?
Answer:
I understand that there is a significant issue for many families living in the Wokingham Without ward – and there has been for some time. They rely on Edgbarrow School, in Bracknell Forest for local secondary school places. However, the school is not currently able to offer places to all Wokingham Without children. Officers have discussed this with the Bracknell Forest counterpart, the school and the DfE. The Corvus Trust who run the school are keen to help but need financial assistance. Bracknell Forest cannot assist as they do not have a shortage of places for their children. The DfE have advised us that we cannot use our school budget to fund places. I appreciate that this national rule is frustrating, but beyond our control.
Other Wokingham schools could make changes to their admissions arrangements, to help Wokingham Without residents. However, judging by 2023 outcomes, these changes would have little effect. By September, over three quarters of the Wokingham Without children had been allocated Edgbarrow School. Twelve children were allocated accessible (by public transport) out of borough schools, in Bracknell and Hampshire. Nine children (not all of whom live close to Edgbarrow School) have been allocated Wokingham town and Winnersh schools. No alternative Wokingham school is within walking distance by a safe walking route, so while the number allocated specific schools might change with amended arrangements, there is no good reason to think the end result would be very different if the other schools changed their arrangements.
I also note that even with the planned and proposed new homes in the north of the Wokingham Without area, there will be insufficient children to justify a new secondary school in the area.
That said, the Council has an active programme working with the local schools’ trusts to increase the number of Year 7 places across the Borough. In the south, Bohunt, St Crispins and Emmbrook Schools are all expected to be able to offer additional places in future, through partnership arrangements. The conversion of the Forest School to co-educational status will ensure that all places at that school can be used from next year.
Supplementary Question:
Edgbarrow is our designated school, but it is full as you say Councillor Bray. As are St Crispin’s, the Holt, and Bohunt, the only other ones acceptable distances from people’s homes. Are you aware that if the radius used next year is the same as that used this year, then 36 roads within my ward, that are within the designated area, will not be eligible, plus 1,750 new houses due to be built in the ward. These are Wokingham children. They are not Bracknell’s responsibility. Please will you look again with all urgency at building a new secondary school in the south of the Borough?
Supplementary Answer:
I think you heard me say that even with the planned and proposed new homes, there will be insufficient children in the south of the Borough to justify a new secondary school in the area. We are, however, working on a secondary school strategy. We are expanding the schools which are currently the closest, but we cannot work miracles and wave a magic wand, and invent a secondary school. The difficulty in addition is that even if Edgbarrow do expand, there is no guarantee that those places would go to children in our Borough, if more children from Bracknell applied, and they happened to live closer. So, it is a very difficult one to solve. It has not been solved in all the years that we have been here up to now, and we will do our best for the people who live in Wokingham Without, but I cannot promise you that every single child will get into Edgbarrow. It is just not possible.