King's Group Academies ordered to change 'unfair' admissions policy

King’s Group Academies planned to give pupils at King’s Academy Meadow Vale priority for places at King’s Academy Binfield from September 2027.

This would put them ahead of some children living within the secondary school's catchment area who attend other primary schools, including Binfield Church of England Primary School and Warfield Church of England Primary School.

Bracknell Forest Council, which coordinates secondary school places across the borough, was among 59 objectors to the changes.

The council estimated between 20 and 35 children living within the King’s Academy Binfield catchment could miss out on a place under the new arrangements.

The Schools Adjudicator has now partially upheld the objections and ordered the trust to change the policy.

Adjudicator Dr Bryan Slater found only 38 of the 85 Year 6 pupils at Meadow Vale, or 44.7 per cent, lived within the King’s Academy Binfield catchment.

By comparison, 52 of 63 Year 6 pupils at Binfield Church of England Primary School, or 82.5 per cent, lived within it.

Dr Slater said this meant children attending Meadow Vale who lived outside the area could be given priority over children living locally.

He said: “The clear evidence is that what objectors have said about the likelihood of children from outside the area displacing local children, especially those from Binfield, is a reality.”

The council also modelled what would have happened if the new rules had been applied to previous years.

The adjudicator found this showed some local children could have been forced to travel further to another secondary school, despite living closer to King’s Academy Binfield.

King’s Group Academies argued there were educational reasons for making Meadow Vale a feeder school, including shared approaches to teaching, transition arrangements and staff collaboration.

Dr Slater accepted the trust had reasonable educational grounds for linking the schools but ruled the effect of giving Meadow Vale pupils priority would be unfair to some local children.

The 59 objections lodged against the arrangements included those from parents, members of the public, Bracknell Forest Council, a local councillor, representatives of local schools, the Oxford Diocesan Board of Education and Maidenhead MP Joshua Reynolds.

Mr Reynolds, whose constituency includes Binfield and Warfield, said the decision recognised the policy was unfair in its effect on children attending other local primary schools.

He said: “I wrote to the Adjudicator and took part in the case as a formal party, and I backed local families and both primary schools throughout.”

The adjudicator’s decision is binding and the trust has been ordered to amend its arrangements as soon as possible and within one month.

The shorter deadline was set because parents had until October 31 to submit their secondary school preferences and the council needs the amended policy to coordinate allocations.

King’s Group Academies runs 15 academies across Berkshire, Hampshire, Portsmouth and East Sussex.

Four are in Bracknell Forest: King’s Academy Binfield, King’s Academy Meadow Vale, King’s Academy Oakwood and King’s Academy Easthampstead Park.