Published: Thursday, 5th March, 2009 8:00am

Parents had "better information" about school choices

by Annabel Williams

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SCHOOL place offers were sent out this week minus much of the controversy which surrounded the Reading borough's system last year because parents had "better information".

Most parents appeared to have got their children into at least one of the secondary schools of their choice.

Reading Borough Council, which co-ordinates admissions to its seven secondary schools, says the John Madejski Academy's catchment area has been widened to ease last year's oversubscription problems.

Last year, 99 children could not get into the flagship Whitley academy and were offered places at Prospect, Reading Girls' or Blessed Hugh Faringdon.

Of the 45 parents who appealed, just five won places.

This year, JMA was over-subscribed by 23, with 14 youngsters offered one of their other choices. The other nine children were given places at other borough schools.

Last year, the furthest child offered a JMA place lived 0.614 miles away, compared to 0.772 this year.

One mother whose son secured a place at JMA said: "I live in Whitley Wood and my son is desperate to go to JMA.

"After what happened last year I was so convinced that he wouldn't get a place and couldn't believe it when we opened the letter on Tuesday and it said he'd been accepted.

"We're all so excited and he's over the moon to be going there with all his friends. I can't tell you what a weight it is off my shoulders."

Borough education leader, Councillor Jon Hartley. said: "Parents making their choices this year were more realistic than last year because they had better information to go on from the council's admissions team."

But parents chasing places at Highdown School in Emmer Green have found themselves victims of the secondary's success because it is oversubscribed by 52.

Council spokesman Chris Branagan said: "We are diverting children to Chiltern Edge School, where possible, and to Prospect School for those families living south of the Thames.

"For Highdown we could not get all the children living in the designated area and attending a feeder primary into the school, so they were split by using a straight-line distance tie-breaker.

"The last place offered was 1.13 miles from the school. There are, however, some families living closer to Highdown who do not meet the feeder primary criteria who have not been offered a place."

*Satisified with the allocation system? Contact reporter Annabel Williams 0118 963 3130 or awilliams@berksmedia.co.uk

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