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Cookham parents hail 'victory for common sense' in admissions battle
5:49pm Thursday 18th March 2010
AN extra 40 places will be created at a popular secondary school to assuage distraught parents left “devastated” after their children were left without anywhere to go.
Education bosses have announced primary school children from Cookham will get preference for places at Furze Platt School, Furze Platt Road, Maidenhead, following a furore over admission changes.
As revealed in last week's Marlow Free Press nine children were left without places at all and 14 were 'diverted' meaning they had been allocated a school not on their preferences list.
The majority of children from Cookham Rise, Cookham Dean and Holy Trinity who wanted to go to the Maidenhead school will now get a place for September, council bosses told aggrieved parents.
About 250 concerned Cookham residents crammed into Moor Hall on Tuesday night for the public meeting after lobbying education bosses at the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.
The move will effectively rubber stamp the three primary school's traditional 'feeder' status and will become a higher priority on the criteria list than distance.
A further 40 places will be created for the following year as well.
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead are aiming to secure £80m in funding from the Government's Building Schools for Futures, which it hopes will aid expansion.
However, it will not be possible to expand Newlands Girls School in Farm Road, Maidenhead.
During the meeting headteachers from Cookham Primary Schools hit out at the consultation process, which led to the criteria changes, saying they had not received the papers.
Cllr MJ Saunders slammed the process, saying it had been proved “ineffective” and “inefficient” and was backed by many parents.
Cllr Eilen Quick, responsible for education, said 24,000 papers had been sent out.
She insisted the changes were designed to create a “fairer” system for all children in the area and said: “We don't want the Cookhams to be neglected, we want fair chances for the whole borough.”
Council leader Cllr David Burbage, who attended part of the meeting despite saying he was unavailable originally after pressure from parents, said: “We are pleased to reassure parents that their children will have a place at Furze Platt in September.”
Maidenhead MP Theresa May said: “I am pleased to hear that last night’s meeting went well and the Council are constructively looking at solutions so that the families of Cookham have a better hope of getting their children into the community school which they want.
“I will continue to monitor this situation closely to ensure that the Council do not let down the children and families of Cookham.”
Julia Cox, mother of Cookham Rise Primary School pupil Matthew, who organised and chaired the meeting said: "This is a victory of common sense made possible by the determination and commitment of the action group and a team of very passionate Cookham parents.”
“There was relief amongst parents when they heard directly from the panel of councillors that their concerns had been taken very seriously and addressed. "The solution presented, on the face of it, appears viable and acceptable to the majority.”
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Parents hail 'victory for common sense' in admissions battle
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