Lack of school places due to 'bulge' in child numbers

There is currently a high demand for school places in Shinfield and Arborfield

A shortage of school places in two villages has been caused by a "bulge" in the number of children, according to a councillor.

Shinfield and Arborfield, in Berkshire, were facing "challenges" in delivering enough school places, a council report found.

Both areas have recently seen hundreds of new homes built or planned under Wokingham Borough Council's Local Plan.

Prue Bray, the authority's member for children’s services, said the council would need to move quickly to resolve the situation.

There are seven primary schools and one secondary school in the Shinfield area

Speaking at a council meeting on 26 September, Ms Bray said: "We have a bulge in the number of children, and that bulge is currently working its way through secondary and the last years of primary."

The executive report noted the "emerging shortfall in provision for all age groups" in Shinfield reflected "the impact of housebuilding locally".

Ms Bray added that, while there were some issues with the number of secondary places, there were "considerably fewer" children joining at the lower levels of primary.