Have your say on proposals to relocate primary school and unlock new SEND provision

Views are being sought on proposals to move Bearwood Primary School in Sindlesham to new purpose-built premises, which would help spread primary-aged places more effectively across Wokingham Borough.

This would see the school relocate to a new site in Spencers Wood with 210 mainstream places, as well as a nursery and inclusive provision for up to 14 additional pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Demand for mainstream primary school places is falling in some areas, including the area currently served by Bearwood Primary School, while Shinfield and Spencers Wood continue to experience housing growth and strong demand for places.

Schools in this area are fully subscribed while demand for SEND provision is increasing, with more local places needed to support children closer to home.

The new premises at Spencers Wood would have one form of entry plus a specialist base for up to 14 pupils with education, health and care plans (EHCPs) for autism and speech, language and communication needs.

Parents and staff at Bearwood have been told about the proposal and there is a chance to take part in informal consultation before a statutory four-week consultation in October and November. 

The council is particularly interested in hearing views on the potential benefits and challenges of the relocation, the proposed transport arrangements and the creation of the specialist base within the relocated school.

Respond now

New mainstream and SEND places

The council's Executive committee will make a formal decision in December. If agreed, Bearwood Primary School’s current site, off Bearwood Road, would be transformed into a new special school with 80 SEND places, set to open in September 2029.

This would be subject to a separate consultation and would form part of the council’s multi-million pound investment in local SEND provision, to reduce reliance on expensive and inconvenient external placements.

Demand for specialist provision is expected to continue growing over the coming years, with the number of primary-aged children requiring specialist provision for autism or speech, language and communication needs expected to increase by around 20 per cent between 2026 and 2030.

The proposals form part of the council's wider programme to expand specialist SEND provision across the borough. Earlier this year, it announced significant investment to create additional specialist school places and help more children with SEND access support closer to home.

Benefits for everyone at new site

To minimise disruption and encourage sustainable travel, the council would provide a bus service from the current site to the new one for at least three years after moving.

Despite shortages in the Shinfield area, there’s an overall surplus of primary places across the borough and many schools are experiencing a fall in pupil numbers, leaving them under capacity.

Schools are funded by the Government per pupil, so undersubscribed schools get less money but still face the same running costs and can end up in deficit. Opening a new school at Spencers Wood without moving an existing one would have made this worse.

All primary-age schools outside the south-west of the borough were invited to bid for the chance to move to new premises, and this competitive process was assessed independently.

As well as providing a new, state-of-the-art home for the school, the Spencers Wood site would offer better pupil drop-off facilities and outdoor recreation opportunities including a multi-use games area.

Supporting a successful local school

Cllr Prue Bray, executive member for children’s services, said: “This proposal addresses several ongoing concerns, not least the unfair impacts of primary-age shortages in some parts of the borough and overprovision in others.

“It would relocate places to where they’re needed most and ensure that a much-loved community school, rated ‘good’ across the board and praised as ‘kind and friendly’ by Ofsted, continues to thrive.

“It also unlocks a key plank in our ambitious SEND investment programme, which is crucial to ensuring that fewer pupils need to travel outside the area to get the additional support they need.

“This would help more children access the support they need closer to home while making the best use of our school estate for current and future pupils.

“We must ensure that our schools are equipped for the future and as well as benefiting Bearwood Primary School, this relocation will reduce pressure on its neighbours to compete to enrol pupils and balance their finances.

“We know this announcement is significant for the Bearwood community, and we’d like to assure everyone that we’re fully committed to hearing their views and considering how we might help them navigate this change.”

Working in partnership on transition

Funmi Alder, headteacher at Bearwood Primary School, said: "I realise this will be difficult for some families, but our lovely school needs to move to where it is needed. 

“A brand new, purpose-built school building, set within the heart of a residential area, will enable us to further fulfil our vision as an inclusive community school committed to excellence.”

Planning permission for the Spencers Wood site, off Hyde End Lane and Fullbrook Avenue, was granted in 2025 and a construction contract is set to be awarded in the next few months.

A share of the cost will be funded by developers building new homes at Shinfield as part of the council’s long-term vision for the borough’s sustainable growth.

The council would also tender for the refurbishment of the Bearwood site ahead of time, allowing work to start on the new special school immediately after the relocation, as long as this is approved via a separate planning application.