A deputy council leader has warned action must be taken on a borough’s school places otherwise it ‘will end up with schools fighting to survive’.
Wokingham Borough Council is looking at ways to increase provision of primary school places in Shinfield – while reducing the number in schools facing an oversupply in the rest of the borough.
This is because there is a national decline in the birth rate – meaning many schools across the country are facing emptier classrooms.
But large amounts of housebuilding in the south of the borough mean there is not enough provision for children living there.
While the council has given planning permission for a new one-form entry primary school, there are multiple options of how it could be run.
Options were discussed at the authority’s children services overview and scrutiny committee on June 17.
One is to open the new school in Spencer’s Wood as a Free School. Another is two open a Satellite School, which would operate under one of the four existing schools in the area.
Another option is to relocate an existing school from an area facing undersubscribed places.
Council officers said this would be a good option, as it would tackle both problems at once.
Oliver Gill said simply opening a new school ‘may just well be leading to the closure of a school elsewhere in Wokingham’ which would create problems with financing, children’s learning and staff.
Deputy leader of the council and executive member for children’s services Prue Bray said: “If we don’t address it right away, we will end up with schools fighting to survive, fighting each other, and it won’t be good for anybody.”
But members of the committee said it was ‘hard’ to determine whether to relocate a school ‘without knowing which one you’re going with’.
Cllr Catherine Glover said: “It’s shifting the problem of Shinfield children – and indeed Swallowfield children – having to travel a long distance. You’re just shifting some other children to having a long distance to Spencers Wood.”
Cllr Glover said she ‘doesn’t think this is feasible’ and that more information on the potential schools that could be relocated would need to be known.
In response, Mr Gill said: “i have a list of schools in my head that i think will be great candidates for this but I don’t want to start a public conversation on that because its just unfair on the pupils and staff of that school.”
The committee decided to keep three options on the table – opening a new school, a satellite school, and relocating an existing school.
