Wokingham Borough Council’s decision-making executive determined the council’s school admissions arrangements for 2012/13.

The significant changes to this year’s arrangements are: 

• An expanded designated area for Maiden Erlegh School, to form part of a shared designated area for Bulmershe School
• Radial distance first tiebreak limited to 600m south of the A329 within the Maiden Erlegh designated area
• Additional radial distance to alternative designated area school” second tiebreak within the Maiden Erlegh designated area
• A shared area for Emmbrook, Forest, Holt and St Crispin’s schools
• A tiebreak arrangement within this area that treats Forest and Holt schools as a pair, i.e. ‘radial distance to both schools’
• An increase in the maximum number of school preferences from three to four
• Removal of the linked primary school criterion for secondary admissions
• Priority for infant school pupils as a tiebreak when transferring to the linked junior school.

The decision marked the end of a process that began in 2010 with the council’s secondary admissions review. Since then there have been two sets of public consultation ((1) on the Secondary Admissions Review in 2010 and (2) statutory consultation on all admissions arrangements that started in 2010 and ended on February 14, 2011).

Four public meetings were held, and thousands of responses were received online, by email, by letter and through petitions and well-argued alternative proposals. At each stage in the process the council listened to concerns, and where they were justified amended the proposals.

If you have concerns

If you have any concerns, you can make an objection to the independent Schools Adjudicator. Objections can be made between May 1 and July 31, 2011.