Consultation planned on first and middle school places for Windsor

Parents, teachers, governors and residents are to be invited to give their views on proposals to expand first and middle schools in Windsor so they can take in more pupils from September 2013.

Cabinet is expected to agree to a public consultation on the proposal when it meets on Thursday 27 October.

The Royal Borough anticipates an additional 30 places will be required for the reception intake into Windsor first schools from September 2013. A further 30 reception places may also be required for September 2014. Views are therefore being sought on expansion proposals to increase numbers at the following first schools:

• Clewer Green CE Aided School - from current admission numbers of 45 to 60 places per year group
• Dedworth Green First School - from 30 to 60 places per year group
• St Edward's Catholic First School - from 45 to 60 places
• The Queen Anne Royal Free CE Controlled First School - from 30 to 45 places.

For middle schools, it looks likely that more than 100 extra places will be needed for the Year 5 intake by September 2018. The Royal Borough proposes the first 30 of these places be provided by September 2013. The following proposals are being consulted on:

• Dedworth Middle School, which has an admission number of 120 and could be expanded to 150 places per year group
• St Edward's Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School, 93 and could be expanded to 120 places per year group
• St Peter's CE Middle School, 60 and could be expanded to 90 places
• Trevelyan Middle School, 150 and could be expanded to 180 places.

These proposals follow two previous phases of first school expansion which has seen Oakfield First, Clewer Green CE Aided First, Hilltop First and Alexander First Schools all expanded since September 2009.

Cllr Eileen Quick, Cabinet Member for Children's Services, invited everyone who had an interest to take part in the consultation.

She said: "There is a growing need for additional first and middle school places for local children. In the previous rounds of consultation we received many constructive comments and we welcome the same this time - we want to be sure we have considered all possible implications before we start building."

The demand for additional school places is largely a result of the growing national birth rate. Local predictions are for just under 1,900 children of reception class age living in the borough by 2014 - 300 more than in 2006. There are currently 504 reception places available in Windsor's 14 first schools, 842 in Maidenhead's 24 primary schools and 90 in Wraysbury as well as 136 in Ascot.

The consultation will run from Monday 7 November to Friday 2 December. A letter will be sent to all parents of children in Windsor schools and the information can also be downloaded from
www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/consultation_current.htm

Cabinet will consider the responses and decide on Thursday 15 December which, if any, of the proposals should proceed.

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