A MAJOR shake-up of school admissions is set to take place in order to tackle Bracknell’s booming population.

A MAJOR shake-up of school admissions is set to take place in order to tackle Bracknell’s booming population.

The council are planning the biggest overhaul of the admissions criteria for the borough’s primary and secondary schools for more than 10 years and are set to consult on the plans this autumn.

The changes are due to affect admissions from September 2017.

The biggest changes could see feeder school links to secondary schools removed, while the designated areas for primary schools in North Bracknell, Sandhurst and Crowthorne look likely to be revised and redrawn.

In a report presented to the executive of Bracknell Forest Council last night, councillors were urged to agree to a consultation to progress in a 'fair and transparent manner’.

On the removal of feeder status, the report notes the expansion of primary schools such as Warfield CE and Crowthorne CE onto two sites will result in each feeding to two different secondary schools.

The report states: “Feeder-school arrangements will not allow provision for one part of a primary school’s designated area to feed one secondary school, and another part to feed a different secondary school.” Admissions to secondary schools would instead prioritise children living in the designated area.

More than 5,000 extra school places have already been created and the further changes come in light of the influx of new housing developments that are planned across the borough over the next decade.

New housing estates at Warfield, Amen Corner, Binfield’s Blue Mountain site and the old Transport Research Laboratory site in Crowthorne are expected to increase demand for school places.

Cllr Gareth Barnard, the executive member for children, young people and learning, is keen to ensure school admissions are fair.

He said: “We have already provided more school places and we have decided to go out and consult on a master plan.

“We want to make sure, wherever possible, that if you live in the designated area for a school that your child will get a place.

“We have a good record of planning and supplying more school places at the moment and we want to make sure we do this in a managed way so that we are not met with a crisis in a few years’ time. We want to be prepared.” There will be a transitional six-year period where siblings of children already at a school will still be given priority.

The consultation will run from September 1 to November 20 to give the public a chance to view the proposals in full and feedback to the council.