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Date Issued: Monday December 2nd 2013

Parents Launch Bid for Free South of Wokingham Secondary School

A group of Wokingham parents have started the process of applying to the Department for Education to open a Free Secondary School to cover the Arborfield, Finchampstead and Barkham area of the borough. They have put together a comprehensive 40 page consultation document setting out their plans and vision for the new school, which they will be discussing with local councils and other community groups. Gill Purchase, co-founder of the Group, says. In a Freedom of Information Request, Wokingham Borough Council said that they forecast demand for secondary school places will exceed the number of spaces available as soon as 2015/16. Parents living in Arborfield, Finchampstead and Barkham will be most affected by this, as some are already unable to get their children in their first, second and sometimes even third choice of school. I set up the Group because my daughter will be one of these secondary school orphans, and I was not prepared to sit around and wait for the Council to do something about it, action is needed now! She adds. Also, the Developers (of the planned 3,500 home mini-town) offer to provide the Council with a site within the SDL for a school will be simply too little, too late.

More/.. The area proposed in their planning application is totally unacceptable. What parent in their right mind would want their child educated in temporary portacabin units in the middle of building and demolition site for 15 years, next to a road that the construction traffic for the development will use? Our children deserve better than this and we intend to get it for them. Ms Purchase adds. We want to create an exceptional school that meets local needs, as well as increasing parental choice of secondary schools for people living in Wokingham. The school we establish will be at the heart of the community it serves. Richard Peat, also a co-founder of the Group, describes the vision for the new school. It will be a forward thinking school that focuses on getting the best out of each child, whether they are academically, creatively or vocationally orientated. We believe that developing social and communication skills of children are as important as getting them the good GCSE grades needed to follow further education or apprenticeship opportunities. We want every child who leaves our school to be confident, motivated and happy individuals who can make the most of whatever life has to offer them. The Group are hoping other parents will join them in getting the new SOW school up and running, by offering the skills and expertise needed to get the formal bid together for September 2014. A web-site is being developed and the South of Wokingham Free School Group can be found on Facebook.