11 Plus Exams Forum

Heads up but I've heard that someone has instigated a ballot on whether Kendrick and Reading Grammar school should end their selective status. I know there's only been one (unsuccessful) ballot before for Ripon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_School#History" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The 1944 Education Act saw the abolition of fees (apart from boarding charges), with the cost of education now being met by the local authority. The 1960s saw the rise of comprehensive education, which threatened Reading's status. However, Reading was exempted in 1973 (along with the girls' grammar school in Reading, Kendrick) after a petition of over 30,000 local people (a third of the voters of Reading) was handed to the government.

Not sure given the current govt. and academy status a ballot will work, but just incase do you have any further info.? Please post or PM. The fightback starts now.

All I know at the moment is that parents at another primary very near us have had a letter about it. I'll let you know when I hear more. I'm guessing that our school will send out something too

Well as Reading has just become an academy there is nothing anyone other than the school can do about it as they now manage their own admissions totally. Also as they were voted top state secondary by the Sunday Times last year i can't see any reason to change.

I guess this is all tied in with the Maiden earley catchment debate

As someone who lives in the current ME DA but will be excluded I can sympathise, I suppose. Reading doesn't have enough secondary school spaces for all it's secondary school kids. More Wokingham children goes to reading GSs than Reading children go to Maiden Erlegh. I guess someone else affected has triggered this. However it's not something I want changing. We were already thinking about Kendrick rather than ME.
I was having doubts about ME. However we moved here to live in ME catchment not Bulmershe.

stevew61 wrote:Not sure given the current govt. and academy status a ballot will work

The following is suitably vague and I've no further information but it sounds like the govt. intend to address this issue.

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/lea ... aces-faqs/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We are aware that neither the grammar schools ballots legislation, nor the provisions that allow governing bodies of grammar schools to bring forward proposals to remove selection, apply directly to academies, but we will ensure we mirror the current situation, within the funding agreement, for maintained grammar schools which have converted to become academies.

R3ad1ngDad wrote: I guess this is all tied in with the Maiden earley catchment debate

Yes! The trail starts here.


http://www.maidenerleghcatchment.co.uk/ ... p?f=3&t=28" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'll put my hand up now and admit that I'm part of the campaign group fighting the changes to ME catchment. (Even though we were already considering not applying for ME). Partly becuase I don't want the group being blamed for something we haven't done.
Just for the record though, this ballot wasn't started by maidenerleghcatch.co.uk. I personally dont' think it particulary helps. However I strongly suspect that it has been initiated by someone else affected by the ME changes who did know that this process existed. I know Rob Wilson (MP for Reading East) has muttered something about the catchments of the two schools being so big that they do not effectively serve Reading and he has talked the the leadership teams at both schools about this. Ultimately though they are now both academies so its up to them what they do. I doubt that the ballot will be successful or that the catchments will change.

Here is some old info. on the hoops they will have to jump through to get a ballot.

http://www.newstatesman.com/200002070015" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Some extra info

I was speaking to someone recently who is a governor at a Reading secondary - apparently the amount reading charge schools per pupil for the central admin/hr etc etc is huge (as in nearly 3 times what a Birmingham school pays it's council), So as they go academy you can expect to see RBC education department in serious trouble as the work is given to other providers or the price negotiated.

Unitary authorities have not worked for education at all - the boundaries do not match with catchments and that is why the problems have started - that is the precursor event for the problems re ME/Bulmershe/Ryesh Green etc etc it all ends up being political point scoring with our children in the middle

I actually live in Bulmershe catchment but with the Waingels catchment abutting one wall and ME at the end of the gardens opposite so I never expected to find getting anywhere other than Bulmershe easy but I can understand it being frustrating if your house flip flops in and out. This current consultation was all rushed through to be completed before ME was announced an academy and no longer subject to WBC political whims.

Also I understand that kendrick actually has no catchment and is totally based on test scores - Reading does have a large catchment but when looked at in terms of the old Berkshire borders it does serve that area. With no/huge catchment how could the campaigners get a 20% petition of parents from the area it serves ?