Ballot on Reading Grammar and Kendrick

[Goldens Mum]

I doubt they will get anything close to the 20% tbh.
Off topic a bit but Bulmershe is woefully undersubscribed and with talk of a new school in East Reading, I can see Bulmershe really struggling to survive unless Wokingham actually put their money where their mouth is and actually make some improvements to it.

[Torrylee]

As a Kendrick parent I have had an email from the school which reads:

To All Parents/Carers of Students at Kendrick School
It may have come to your attention that we, together with Reading School, received a letter in February signed by 10 local people telling us that they are considering raising a petition to remove academic selection at both schools. This is enough to trigger a process whereby the feeder schools that have sent over 5 students to either Kendrick School or Reading School over the last 3 years are approached and asked if they want a sign the petition. This is something that could have happened at anytime and it allows parents to vote against selection. It requires 20% of the eligible parents to sign the petition before a formal ballot will be held.
It is a long and complicated process which we could all do without and which sadly we have no control over. We have put it in the hands of the Electoral Reform Society who are dealing with the whole process on our behalf.
We hope and trust that the parents in the schools concerned will make it very clear that they value to opportunity to send their children to the only two remaining selective schools in Reading and will choose not to participate in this petition.

[stevew61]

As a Kendrick parent I have had an email from the school which reads:

To All Parents/Carers of Students at Kendrick School
It may have come to your attention that we, together with Reading School, received a letter in February signed by 10 local people telling us that they are considering raising a petition to remove academic selection at both schools. This is enough to trigger a process ......

Well I am stunned and amazed, I hope those ten local people have thought through the consequences of their action.

Ten seems a small number to trigger what will most likely be a non-event but with lots of publicity on the way, hmm maybe that is the plan.

[R3ad1ngDad]

Yes i would guess it is a publicity stunt to get some other agenda airtime. Although i have to say my sons primary has sent >5 over last 5 years to Reading and we have heard nothing

[Goldens Mum]

DDs school sent 5 girls to Kendrick just last year and we haven't heard anything either.

[Torrylee]

Further email update received today:

Dear Parents/Carers of all Students at Kendrick School
Following our email regarding the petition on Wednesday, we are taking further advice as we believe there is uncertainty in the process being followed by the Primary Schools.
If you have younger children at any of the feeder schools listed below you should have been contacted by the Headteacher and asked for permission for your details to be included on the electoral list. As only parents included on the list will have a vote we would ask you to encourage as many of your fellow parents to respond. If you have not received a letter you may wish to contact your child's primary school direct. If you do not respond you will not be counted as part of the electoral list for the purposes of calculating whether the petition has the signatures of 20% of the eligible parents nor will you have a vote in any subsequent ballot.
We would be very grateful if you could pass this information to any parents you know who have children at the following feeder schools:
Aldryngton
Alfred Sutton
Caversham Primary
Crossfields
Emmer Green Primary
Hawkenden Primary
Hillside Primary
Holme Grange
Kidmore End
Loddon Junior
Nine Mile Ride
Oaklands Junior
Radstock Primary
Redlands Primary
Robert Piggot CE
Sonning Primary
St Bernards' Convent
St Dominic Savio R.C. Primary
St Edwards
St Josephs
St Mary & All Saints
St Mary CE Junior
St Paul's CE
St Pauls RC
St Peters CE
St Theresa's
The Abbey Junior
The Hawthorns Primary
The Hill
Waverley School
Whitegrove Primary
Woodley CE
Yateley Manor

We have received a number of questions from parents who are expressing their concerns regarding this situation. We are working on putting together a list of FAQ's but we hope you will appreciate that, at this time, we cannot answer all the queries but will let you have any further information as soon as we can.

[hermanmunster]

electoral reform do the process very well but it all costs ££££££££.

[Torrylee]

And a similar email received from Reading School, but with a different list of schools:

Caversham Primary School Caversham
St Paul's CE Junior School Wokingham
Crosfields Schooll Reading
Hawkedon Primary School Lower Earley
The Abbey School Reading
Earley St Peters CE Primary School Earley
Robert Piggot CE Junior School Wargrave
Kidmore End Primary School Kidmore End
Loddon Junior School Earley
Radstock Primary School Lower Earley
Whitegrove Primary School Warfield
Emmer Green Primary School Emmer Green
The Hawthorns Primary School Woosehill
St Pauls RC Primary School Tilehurst
Alfred Sutton Primary School Reading
Hillside Primary School Lower Earley
St Dominic Savio R.C. Primary School Woodley
The Hill Primary School Caversham
Yateley Manor School Yateley
Aldryngton Primary School Earley
Nine Mile Ride Primary School Wokingham
St Edward's Prep School Reading
St Joseph's College Preparatory School Reading
Woodley CE Primary School Woodley
Holme Grange School Wokingham
Oaklands Junior School Crowthorne
St Bernards Prep School Slough
Redlands Primary School Reading
Sonning Primary School Sonning on Thames
St Mary & All Saints School Reading
St Mary CE Junior School Old Basing
St Theresa's Catholic Primary School Wokingham
Waverley School Finchampstead

The Reading School email reads:

Dear Parents

It may have come to your attention that we together with Kendrick School have become subject to an attempt to raise a petition calling for a ballot on whether Reading and Kendrick Schools should remain selective. This is governed by legislation introduced in 1998. In order to trigger a ballot the petition has to be signed by 20% of parents of our feeder primary schools eligible to vote - a list of the relevant schools is attached for information. (A feeder primary school is defined as a school which has sent at least 5 students to Reading School and Kendrick School over the last 3 years).

While none of the earlier attempts to call a ballot has been successful we wish to ensure a fully representative outcome this time around. If you have younger children at any of the feeder schools you should have been contacted by the Headteacher and asked for permission for your details to be included on the electoral list. As only parents included on the list will have a vote we would ask you to encourage as many of your fellow parents as possible to respond. If you have not received a letter you may wish to contact the primary school direct. The more names included on the Electoral List, the greater the number of signatures required to trigger a ballot - this makes the process more democratic. If parents choose not to join the electoral list they will not have a vote in any subsequent ballot.

Reading and Kendrick Schools have appointed Electoral Reform Services to manage the electoral process so we are not directly involved. We would however be interested in seeing copies of any letters you receive from your children's primary schools on this matter. Given the lack of success of earlier attempts to raise a petition we do not expect the process to reach the ballot stage, but if it does it would be very helpful to have a contact at each of our feeder primary schools. If you are interested in getting involved please let us know.

[Goldens Mum]

I don't have any DC at either school (yet, but hopefully will). However I have just sent a letter to my DDs school to ask when info will be sent out to parents.
Can I suggest that one of the mods maintain a list of schools that we know some one here had contacted so we can make sure we cover them all.

[stevew61]

Seeing the school list suggests to me that getting 20% to sign the petition in the allowed year will be a big problem for

those ten local people

who have instigated this process, I wonder if their details are publicly available?

Homework time, read and enjoy.


The Education (Grammar School Ballots) Regulations 1998

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998 ... tents/made" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Torrylee, thanks for the school lists, I think Reading may not have sorted theirs alphabetically but by numbers but the lists still don't match.

Goldens Mum, let's wait and see how things pan out, R & K are already asking for feedback and if it goes to a ballot contacts at the primary school, and this forum should try and stay impartial.

Having said that, nothing from my two at Caversham Primary, some schools may try to delay the lists to run the allowed time down.