PLANS have been revealed to build a new secondary school to address the pressure on places in the borough.

Maiden Erlegh Trust will submit the proposal to the Department for Education (DfE), with a view to opening a school in north Reading by September 2021.

Reading Borough Council (RBC) also has plans to build a 900-place free school by 2021 on Richfield Avenue.

It is thought that an additional 1,000 new secondary school places will be needed by 2025 in order to cope with demand.

Mary Davies, chief executive officer of Maiden Erlegh Trust, said: “We are very excited by the potential of this project.

"Our ultimate aim is to create a school with, and for, the local community that responds to the ambitions of local stakeholders, including local schools and businesses.

"Maiden Erlegh Trust will listen carefully to the local community, in the same way we did when establishing Maiden Erlegh School in Reading.

"We will also work closely with RBC to establish the new school should our bid to the DfE be successful.”

The council recently launched a consultation, asking residents for views on the 900-place school.

Following the consultation, which will include views from schools, the authority will apply for funding from the DfE for the new school.

No further details on the exact location of the new school for north Reading have been made available.

It is thought the secondary school in Caversham will be a free school and Councillor Ashley Pearce, lead member for Education, says this has been 'dictated by Government policy.'

He added: "In terms of the running of the school the local authority can only do so much.

"Bids will be made by academies and trusts to run the school. As a council we will provide information to bidders and an endorsement of our preferred partner, but the final decision lies with the Department for Education.

"Reading’s growth and success as a town means that we are in need of a new secondary school."

The council has invested £61 million to create 2,550 new primary school places in the town and that growth is now filtering through to secondary places.

A council spokesman said: "The council welcomes the interest from trusts to operate a new secondary school in Reading.

"RBC has been working with interested trusts to ensure their potential bids closely align with the council’s needs for future education provision.

"Any bids by trusts to open a new free school will be scrutinised by a panel in the DfE and Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) who will interview shortlisted bidders. The outcome of this preliminary phase is expected to be announced by early 2019.

"The Council decided on Richfield Avenue as a preferred location for a new 900-place secondary school in June this year to meet on-going growth in demand for school places in Reading.

"A public consultation on proposals for the new school was held in July and August and the results will help inform matters such as the school’s catchment area, ethos and curriculum.

"Following the appointment of a sponsor, the ESFA will then determine how the new school will be built, and Reading Borough Council will make their case to them to work with the sponsor and build the school. Alternatively, the ESFA could decide to undertake the project directly."