Primary school places expansion: Council to consider plan tonight
PLANS to expand one of the borough’s primary schools will be discussed at a meeting of Wokingham Borough Council’s executive this evening.
The committee will look at a proposal to increase the intake of Farley Hill Primary School from September next year.
The school moved to a new site in Arborfield Green at the start of this academic year but, as we have previously reported, parents living in the new housing development have been unable to meet the school’s catchment policies, despite being able to see the buildings from their homes.
The proposal will see the school expanded to 420 places plus a nursery, while the catchment area will be expanded so that children living in homes in or in immediate proximity to the Arborfield Garrison Strategic Development Location are included.
The former school site in the village of Farley Hill will be closed.
The paper to be considered by the executive acknowledges that the new school was oversubscribed, and the majority of children admitted in September were not from the garrison area.
“A significant number of children living in the north of the garrison area could not be admitted to the school, including children living around the new school site.
“Expansion to 60 places and confirmation of revised admissions arrangements would enable children living in the north to be admitted to the school and do as much as is in the council’s gift to ensure that children living in the south of the garrison area continue to be admitted,” the paper notes.
It adds that the Coombes CofE primary school has a reduced admission number of 60 for the 2022/23 academic year, which would help if Farley Hill was still oversubscribed.
Council leader John Halsall said: “We will be looking at the proposal to expand Farley Hill School, which should help to alleviate the frustrations of people.” n The meeting takes place at Shute End this evening from 7pm, and it will be broadcast online at wokingham.gov.uk