Concerns have been raised about an apparent lack of places for Year 7 pupils in schools across Wokingham.

Council figures appear to show a lack in Year 7 places across schools in Wokingham Borough, which was discussed at a meeting of the council’s executive committee yesterday (Monday, March 7).

A  report paper shows Wokingham Borough as 2,716 school places for Year 7 pupils from the 2021/22 to 2028/29 academic years.

However, the need for Year 7 places is higher, with 90 additional places required in 2021/22 and 75 fresh places required in 2022/23.

This means that Wokingham Borough has a deficit of 141 Year 7 places.

Eventually, 88 of these children were found places at schools in Wokingham Borough, however, 53 girls had to take up offers for places at schools in Reading.

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Councillor Prue Bray (Liberal Democrats, Winnersh) argued that the council had under-estimated the demand.

Replying, councillor Graham Howe (Conservative, Remenham, Wargrave and Ruscombe), the executive member for childrens services, quoted notorious US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, saying there are ‘known knowns’ and ‘known unknowns’. 

He added an increase in school place applications in 2020/21 had in part been down to 367 place applications from Hong Kong nationals.

Cllr Howe said: “We have no way of tracking those who move into the area to catch a year 7 place as they move into existing properties and not just new

builds.”

In an effort to address the need, the council has made an arrangement to increase school place numbers by 200 places each at St Crispins School and the Emmbrook School, both in Wokingham, and The Piggot CofE School in Twyford.

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New places may also be required at other schools, which the council may negotiate with.

These agreements were made as part of the council’s 11-16 age group school places strategy.

Earlier in the meeting, cllr Gary Cowan (Independent, Arborfield) questioned why more school places are being provided at The Piggot, where there are no new major housing developments, and not at Bohunt School within the Arborfield Major Development, where 3,500 homes are being built.

Cllr Howe replied: “The additional places at the Piggott School directly address an issue in that school’s designated area.

“The rising numbers of older primary and junior school children living in the area around the school means that children living in the south Twyford area would be very unlikely to secure a place at the Piggott School without the additional places.

“These children would therefore need to be transported to an alternative school, many at the council’s expense.

“The other agreed additional places are in Wokingham Town, at the Emmbrook and St Crispins Schools. Both of these schools sit on the edge of areas of major housing growth.”

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The executive committee, which is made up entirely of Conservatives, unanimously approved the 11-16 school places strategy.

It gives cllr Howe and the council’s director of childrens services the power to negotiate expansions with schools and agree to funding for building works to provide the new school places required.

£2.2 million will be spent on school upgrades in Wokingham Borough in 2022/23 – with this money being spent on building additional capacity at current schools, which includes permanent room expansions and temporary classrooms out of modular buildings.