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Consultation on the Royal Borough's school admissions arrangements

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Book: Education consultations

Consultation on the Royal Borough's school admissions arrangements

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is consulting on changes to the admissions arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools within the borough.

These changes will affect admissions for entry to community and voluntary controlled schools in the borough from September 2025.

Voluntary Aided schools and academies (including free schools) have their own admissions arrangements and are not affected by the changes proposed here.

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The proposed changes:

There are two areas of proposed change:

  1. A reduction in the Published Admission Number (PAN) for Homer First School and Nursery, from 45 to 30.  This would be for children starting Reception in September 2025, and is in response to falling demand for Reception places in Windsor.  There are currently 75 spare Reception places in Windsor, and this is expected to increase to 106 by September 2026.  Analysis suggests that most children wanting a place at the school will continue to get one, even if the PAN is reduced to 30.  The falling demand for school places in the town is a result of a reduced birth rate and fewer families moving into the town.  Reducing the PAN at Homer First School will mean that the school has fewer empty places and can organise its classes more efficiently, helping to reduce pressure on the school's budget.
  2. A change to the designated area for Riverside Primary School and Nursery, extending it and moving the southern boundary from the A4 to the main London-Reading railway line.  Frascati Way would be the western boundary (with the River Thames as the eastern boundary).  This area includes a significant number of new dwellings and is currently in the designated area for Oldfield Primary School.  this will continue to be the case - Oldfield Primary School's designated area will not be changed as part of this proposal.  

Note: Homer First School would like to reduce their PAN from 45 to 30 from September 2024, which would affect the Reception intake starting next year.  This change can only be made if the Office of the Schools Adjudicator agrees to it.

No other changes to the school admissions arrangements for the Royal Borough are proposed.  Please view the draft admissions arrangements.  It includes (on page 22) a map showing the existing and proposed designated areas for Riverside Primary School and Nursery.

Responding to the consultation

If you have any comments on the proposed admissions arrangements and/or the proposed changes, you can let us have your thoughts via our online consultation form here.  Alternatively, you can:

All responses must reach us by midday on Wednesday 31 January 2024.

After the end of the consultation period, the local authority will need to consider any responses made and make a formal decision on its admissions arrangements by Wednesday 28 February 2024.  These will then need to be published by Friday 15 March 2024.  

Anyone then wishing to object to the admissions arrangements must submit an objection to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator by Wednesday 15 May 2024.

Questions about the proposals

If you have any questions about admissions arrangements or the proposed changes, you can contact us at rbwm.admissions@achievingforchildren.org.uk.