Latest news
Tuesday, 12th July 2016
Reading Borough Council's Heights School Subcommittee agrees to consider a proposal from the EFA to purchase a site on Mapledurham Playing Fields. The EFA is offering a total of £1.36m to acquire 1.25 acres to build The Heights Free School.
Monday, 23rd November
The Heights School Trust has announced that survey work is about to begin at Mapledurham Playing Fields. The survey is expected to take between six and eight weeks.
The Trust said, "The Education Funding Agency (EFA), which is funding the new school, and The Heights Primary Trust took the summer to assess the results (of the public consultation) and plan the way forward. The Trust knows the importance of the playing fields to Reading and before moving any further in the process wants to assess how it can address any concerns raised in the consultation and what it can do to enhance the facilities at Mapledurham as part of a new school on the site."
A further consultation with local residents is promised by the Trust when the surveyors have completed their work. Updates will be posted by the Trust on this page as information becomes available.
Monday, 9th November
No updates on the Heights School proposal from the Education Funding Agency, or from Reading Borough Council.
Our Facebook and Twitter feeds are no longer being monitored - if you want to get in touch with us please use our contacts page
Monday, 17th August
The EFA have announced that their chosen site for The Heights Free School is Mapledurham Playing Fields. In a letter to Rob Wilson MP, Luke Kennedy of the EFA refers to the results of RBC's recent public consultation and states: "...development on the Mapledurham Playing Fields was the first choice for the majority of people and had the least opposition to it. We have therefore decided to pursue this site for the school and will commence the work necessary to put forward a proposal to the site’s trustees."
Read the full text of the EFA's letter here
Read Rob Wilson's reply to the EFA here
Friday, 24th July
Oxfordshire County Council, the Local Education Authority for South Oxon, responds to a request from the EFA (dated 7th July) for their view on the siting of The Heights School in South Oxon. OCC points out that Dysons Wood Farm is outside The Heights School's catchment area, but is within the published catchment area of Kidmore End C of E Aided Primary School, and that "...a new Free School within this location may affect the sustainability of this village school." Their conclusion states:
"...the County Council would prefer that the site for The Heights Free School be located within the area which the school serves and that reflects the preference of that community. Based on the statistical analysis completed by Reading Borough Council this would appear to be the site at Mapledurham Playing Fields. The County Council remains committed to the principle of offering children places within their community and would contend that in this regard the site in the parish of Kidmore End does not meet this aspiration."
To read the County Council's response in full, together with the rest of their correspondence with the EFA, go to our Freedom Of Information request via this link
Thursday, 28th May
RBC announce the results of the public consultation. 61% of respondents selected Mapledurham Playing Fields as their first choice. The Education Funding Agency is expected to announce their decision on the school site in July.
Friday, 1st May
RBC's online survey is now closed. Thanks to everyone who voted "NO" to the use of land at Dyson's Wood Farm.
Monday, 20th April
Only two more weeks before the public consultation closes on 1st May - go to RBC's consultation web site to have your say.
Please support us - keep The Heights School in Caversham where it belongs. Vote "NO" to Dysons Farm and rank Dysons Farm last, or as close to the bottom of the ranking order as possible. Thank you.
Monday, 30th March
The public consultation opens today. The online survey form is available on RBC's consultation web site. Paper copies are available at RBC offices, libraries and leisure centres.
Friday, 27th March
Kidmore End Parish Council publish the text of their letter to the EFA, requesting that the South Oxfordshire site be removed from the list of proposed locations for The Heights School.
Wednesday 25th March
Public meeting at Rivermead this evening. The Heights School Trust and the parents reveal that they would prefer the school to be on Mapledurham Playing Fields. The Chair of the Trust states that the school would be £50,000 a year worse off if it was in Oxfordshire. Read GetReading's blog of the meeting here
Reading Borough Council's Heights School Subcommittee agrees to consider a proposal from the EFA to purchase a site on Mapledurham Playing Fields. The EFA is offering a total of £1.36m to acquire 1.25 acres to build The Heights Free School.
Monday, 23rd November
The Heights School Trust has announced that survey work is about to begin at Mapledurham Playing Fields. The survey is expected to take between six and eight weeks.
The Trust said, "The Education Funding Agency (EFA), which is funding the new school, and The Heights Primary Trust took the summer to assess the results (of the public consultation) and plan the way forward. The Trust knows the importance of the playing fields to Reading and before moving any further in the process wants to assess how it can address any concerns raised in the consultation and what it can do to enhance the facilities at Mapledurham as part of a new school on the site."
A further consultation with local residents is promised by the Trust when the surveyors have completed their work. Updates will be posted by the Trust on this page as information becomes available.
Monday, 9th November
No updates on the Heights School proposal from the Education Funding Agency, or from Reading Borough Council.
Our Facebook and Twitter feeds are no longer being monitored - if you want to get in touch with us please use our contacts page
Monday, 17th August
The EFA have announced that their chosen site for The Heights Free School is Mapledurham Playing Fields. In a letter to Rob Wilson MP, Luke Kennedy of the EFA refers to the results of RBC's recent public consultation and states: "...development on the Mapledurham Playing Fields was the first choice for the majority of people and had the least opposition to it. We have therefore decided to pursue this site for the school and will commence the work necessary to put forward a proposal to the site’s trustees."
Read the full text of the EFA's letter here
Read Rob Wilson's reply to the EFA here
Friday, 24th July
Oxfordshire County Council, the Local Education Authority for South Oxon, responds to a request from the EFA (dated 7th July) for their view on the siting of The Heights School in South Oxon. OCC points out that Dysons Wood Farm is outside The Heights School's catchment area, but is within the published catchment area of Kidmore End C of E Aided Primary School, and that "...a new Free School within this location may affect the sustainability of this village school." Their conclusion states:
"...the County Council would prefer that the site for The Heights Free School be located within the area which the school serves and that reflects the preference of that community. Based on the statistical analysis completed by Reading Borough Council this would appear to be the site at Mapledurham Playing Fields. The County Council remains committed to the principle of offering children places within their community and would contend that in this regard the site in the parish of Kidmore End does not meet this aspiration."
To read the County Council's response in full, together with the rest of their correspondence with the EFA, go to our Freedom Of Information request via this link
Thursday, 28th May
RBC announce the results of the public consultation. 61% of respondents selected Mapledurham Playing Fields as their first choice. The Education Funding Agency is expected to announce their decision on the school site in July.
Friday, 1st May
RBC's online survey is now closed. Thanks to everyone who voted "NO" to the use of land at Dyson's Wood Farm.
Monday, 20th April
Only two more weeks before the public consultation closes on 1st May - go to RBC's consultation web site to have your say.
Please support us - keep The Heights School in Caversham where it belongs. Vote "NO" to Dysons Farm and rank Dysons Farm last, or as close to the bottom of the ranking order as possible. Thank you.
Monday, 30th March
The public consultation opens today. The online survey form is available on RBC's consultation web site. Paper copies are available at RBC offices, libraries and leisure centres.
Friday, 27th March
Kidmore End Parish Council publish the text of their letter to the EFA, requesting that the South Oxfordshire site be removed from the list of proposed locations for The Heights School.
Wednesday 25th March
Public meeting at Rivermead this evening. The Heights School Trust and the parents reveal that they would prefer the school to be on Mapledurham Playing Fields. The Chair of the Trust states that the school would be £50,000 a year worse off if it was in Oxfordshire. Read GetReading's blog of the meeting here
Monday 23rd March
The EFA's information pack is now live on RBC's consultation web site! Blood, sweat and tempers were lost in the creation of this document and you can read it here
Friday 20th March
Sonning Common Parish Council has voted to oppose the school being sited in Oxfordshire, according to today's Henley Standard. A motion proposed by Cllr Leigh Rawlins says it would be "an inappropriate location and would set an unwelcome precedent for more housing development around it. It would also be a less accessible location for parents and pupils, bringing excess traffic on to a minor country lane."
Thursday 19th March
John Howell, MP for Henley, joins the debate - he says putting the school in his constituency would be "inappropriate". Follow this link to press release.
Wednesday 18th March
Kidmore End Parish Council meeting. Council members voted to oppose development of the site at Farthingworth Green, which is in their parish. They will be communicating this view to the EFA. They will also express their dissatisfaction at being ignored by the EFA/RBC and excluded from the public consultation. KEPC Chair and Deputy Chair will attend the public meeting on Wed 25th March.
Tuesday 10th March
Reading Borough Council have announced the public consultation timetable - follow this link to RBC's web site for details.
Thursday 5th March
Today we submitted our contribution to the EFA’s public consultation information pack. We're told the final version of the whole pack will be released online in the week beginning 16th March. Watch this space…
The EFA's information pack is now live on RBC's consultation web site! Blood, sweat and tempers were lost in the creation of this document and you can read it here
Friday 20th March
Sonning Common Parish Council has voted to oppose the school being sited in Oxfordshire, according to today's Henley Standard. A motion proposed by Cllr Leigh Rawlins says it would be "an inappropriate location and would set an unwelcome precedent for more housing development around it. It would also be a less accessible location for parents and pupils, bringing excess traffic on to a minor country lane."
Thursday 19th March
John Howell, MP for Henley, joins the debate - he says putting the school in his constituency would be "inappropriate". Follow this link to press release.
Wednesday 18th March
Kidmore End Parish Council meeting. Council members voted to oppose development of the site at Farthingworth Green, which is in their parish. They will be communicating this view to the EFA. They will also express their dissatisfaction at being ignored by the EFA/RBC and excluded from the public consultation. KEPC Chair and Deputy Chair will attend the public meeting on Wed 25th March.
Tuesday 10th March
Reading Borough Council have announced the public consultation timetable - follow this link to RBC's web site for details.
Thursday 5th March
Today we submitted our contribution to the EFA’s public consultation information pack. We're told the final version of the whole pack will be released online in the week beginning 16th March. Watch this space…