Wokingham

After discussions with senior education officers and carefully considering a report on the future of Ryeish Green School, Wokingham District Council’s decision-making executive has decided to consult on the closure of the school.

The main reason for the decision to go-ahead with the consultation is the falling number of pupils at the school in Spencers Wood. For several years, the school, with the support of Wokingham local authority, has been working to raise standards, improve its reputation in the community and attract more pupils. And, although there has been progress, pupil numbers have continued to fall over recent years, particularly in the last two years when there has been a significant decline.

At their meeting on July 27, the ten-strong executive considered how the school’s pupil numbers have fallen over the last five years (from 904 in September 2002 to an anticipated 740 in September 2006), creating a question mark over the future viability of the school.

The school’s official admission number is for 210 pupils every September but the school has a planned intake for September 2006 of only 101. The outcome of this is that the school now has in excess of 25% surplus capacity / places. The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) requires local education authorities to take action if schools get into a position where there is 25% or more surplus capacity.

The fall in pupil numbers at the school is also currently putting extreme pressure on the school’s finances.

Nearly 60% of the pupils who live in the catchment area of the school choose to go to other schools. Consequently, places are taken up by pupils from outside the district, mainly from south Reading, where the new Madejski Academy School opens in September 2006. It is anticipated that many of the Reading pupils will in future be going to the Academy, thus reducing the numbers at Ryeish Green even further.

Cllr Frank Browne, executive member for Wokingham children’s services, said: “Education officers submitted a report to the executive members who considered the details very carefully. Members agreed that at this stage, it is difficult to see how the school can continue to be viable when fewer and fewer parents are choosing to send their children there. That is why we are going out to consult on our reasons for considering the closure of the school.

“We want to test whether there is a case for retaining the school or for closing it and to make sure that we have all the pertinent facts and stakeholders’ views before we make a final decision. It won’t therefore simply be a referendum on whether or not to close the school. It will be a comprehensive consultation and our education officers will now start putting the consultation document together, with a view to beginning the official consultation process in October with governors, staff, pupils, parents, prospective parents and the wider community.”

Tim Dutfield, vice chairman of governors, said: “We welcome the decision to go to consultation as this will provide the opportunity to finally secure the school's future. The governors and staff consider that the school is still viable and we look forward to presenting a case that will show unequivocally that the future of Ryeish Green School must be that it remains to supply high quality education to an ever growing community.”

Any final decision about the future of the school would not be taken until June 2007. Throughout the whole process, the needs of pupils and their continuity of education, as well as the well-being of staff, will be paramount.

Wokingham District Council