Reading School Expansion Programme Announced

Borough Council have announced the next stage in it’s on-going plan to cater for the significant increase in demand for school places.

Proposals for a major expansion programme of 13 primary schools across Reading will create an additional 2,520 school places over the next seven years. This will be made up of 12 classes of 30 children in each of the seven primary age year groups.

The school expansion options have been developed following the ‘Lets Talk Education’ consultations last year and earlier this year, in which the Council engaged schools, parents and local communities about how best to deal with the extra demand for school places.

A detailed report will now go to a meeting of the Council’s Adult Social Care, Children’s Services and Education Committee (ACE) on Thursday November 7th for consideration.

The report – which can be found at http://www.reading.gov.uk/meetings/details/3599 (Item 11) – outlines a £64 million investment in 13 primary schools across Reading. Expansions could be either through traditional or more modern, modular construction techniques, and would be tailored according to the individual needs of a school. This would be achieved in close consultation with headteachers, governing bodies and parents.

The 13 schools to be expanded under the proposals are:

• Alfred Sutton Primary School
• The Ridgeway Primary
• Geoffrey Field Infants
• Geoffrey Field Juniors
• Southcote Primary
• Churchend Primary
• St Michael’s Primary
• New Oxford Road Academy
• EP Collier Primary
• Thameside Primary
• Dee Park & Ranikhet Primary Redevelopment
• Newtown Primary
• St Martins Primary