About 50 parents heard details of the planning application for the new school to be built by the council on land at Arborfield Garrison were showcased at a public meeting at Henry Street Garden Centre last Wednesday.

The two-storey school, which will be built in an ‘E’ shape, is planned to open in September 2016 to Year Seven pupils and when fully complete will be able to take in 1,500 youngsters.

The whole site, which will be accessible from Sheeplands Road, will sit on 92,000sq m of land and also feature a brook, pond, playing fields and outdoor seating to provide a variety of learning areas.

The plan for the school came from parents originally campaigning for a free school, before the council took over to take control of the project.

Claire Willis, from Finchampstead, said at the meeting that knowing and meeting the future teaching staff is important to her as her son, who would be in Year Seven when the school opens, is autistic.

She said: “It would be a nice, local school for us but as my son is autistic it is very important to me to learn more about who may potentially be teaching my son.

“We are quite keen to find out as much as we can about the school and the teaching staff to help us make a decision.” Scott Carrie, also from Finchampstead, has a daughter who would be in Year Seven by the time the school opens. He said: “It all looks lovely but it is going depend on the planning and the importance of getting ahead and getting the leadership team in place. Time is running out.” Brian Grady, the council’s head of strategic commissioning, said recruiting a quality senior leadership team was one of the council’s top priorities in the project.

He said: “I am really interested in welcoming parents to get involved on the recruitment process because we ourselves want to be ambitious. I would say that this and the safety of children travelling to the school are our biggest prerogatives.” Other parents also raised question marks over the addition of a Sixth Form and special needs facility to the school.

The school is part of a cluster of planning applications aimed to redevelop the Arborfield Garrison site, with 3,500 homes, two primary schools, a food store, play areas and sport and health facilities also earmarked.

There is currently a four-week period of public consultation which ends on Thursday, February 12, before the planning application will come before the council’s planning committee on March 25.