Maiden Erlegh Catchment: Introduction 

Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) is currently undertaking a consultation exercise with the aim of allowing more Lower Earley residents to access a local school near to them.

We are a group of concerned Lower Earley parents and residents campaigning for the existing school catchment areas to be changed because they are illogical, inconsistent and unfair. For many years our local community has been divided and disadvantaged in favour of other areas, which is unfair. This has led to local children attending schools in Woodley and Wokingham, which they cannot walk to. Often their journeys take them past their local community school.

The top priority, as stated by the Office of the Schools Adjudicator, is ‘that there is an urgent need to review the secondary designated areas - and rebalance them as far as possible’ with regards to Maiden Erlegh School.

Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) is currently undertaking a formal consultation exercise with the aim of addressing the Office of the Schools Adjudicator’s conclusion. WBC have commissioned an independent consultant to review the existing arrangements and propose changes. It has been acknowledged that the current arrangements are illogical, inconsistent and unfair. A proposal for a much better and fairer solution for all local residents has been put forward. We are in favour of this change.

The review has been comprehensive. The implications of the proposals have already been considered in depth by Wokingham and Reading Borough Councils, the school admissions forum, the relevant school governing bodies and the independent consultants.