Trust Ordered to Change Unfair Admissions Policy

A trust that runs four Bracknell Forest schools has been ordered to change its "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, ahead of some children living in the secondary school's catchment who attend other primaries.

Bracknell Forest Council was among 59 objectors, saying 20-35 local children could miss out under the new rules.

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

Dr Bryan Slater found only 38 of Meadow Vale's 85 Year 6 pupils (44.7 per cent) lived inside King's Academy Binfield's catchment, compared with 52 of 63 Year 6 pupils (82.5 per cent) at Binfield Church of England Primary School.

He said this could mean pupils from outside the area would be prioritised over local children: "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 trust argued educational reasons for naming Meadow Vale a feeder school, such as shared teaching approaches and transition work. Dr Slater accepted those grounds but ruled the effect would be unfair to some local children.

Among the 59 objections were parents, local schools, the Oxford Diocesan Board of Education, Bracknell Forest Council and Maidenhead MP Joshua Reynolds. 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. The trust must amend its arrangements as soon as possible and within one month so the council can finalise secondary allocations before the October 31 preference deadline.

King's Group Academies runs 15 academies across Berkshire, Hampshire, Portsmouth and East Sussex, including four in Bracknell Forest: King's Academy Binfield, King's Academy Meadow Vale, King's Academy Oakwood and King's Academy Easthampstead Park.

Katie French, Local Democracy Reporter