The Downs School in Compton wants to prioritise giving places to pupils from its own academy primary schools.
The Downs School in Compton is consulting on plans to prioritise places for pupils from its own academy primaries, Compton CE Primary and Basildon CE Primary. The consultation closes on Monday, January 26.
Locals warn the move could “hollow out” village schools by creating an “admissions trap” that pushes families to trust-run primaries to secure a secondary place.
“This creates a two-tier system where families in Catchment Area 1 are being penalised based on the legal status of their primary school rather than their geographic proximity,” said a parent hoping to start her child at Streatley Primary. “As a parent of a child starting at Streatley this September (awaiting confirmation), I am witnessing first-hand the ‘admissions trap’ this creates.”
She warned: “If parents feel they must bypass Streatley Primary and send their children to ‘trust’ schools to guarantee a secondary place at The Downs, our village school faces a devastating drop in enrolment. For a small school like Streatley, losing even a handful of pupils means a loss of vital per-pupil funding which leads directly to staffing cuts and curriculum reductions. We are essentially watching our village school be ‘hollowed out’ by academy policy.”
The parent added the policy could “change the face of our village education system for a generation” and stressed: “Small village schools like Streatley are the heart of our communities. They offer a nurturing, ‘family-feel’ environment where every child is known and supported individually, a start to education that you simply cannot replicate in larger settings. By creating an admissions system that penalises these schools, it isn’t just changing a policy; it threatens the character and long-term sustainability of our village life. We chose this path for our child because we believe in the value of a local, community-led education, and it is deeply concerning to see that choice undermined by administrative restructuring.”
West Berkshire Council is already worried about falling rolls and the possible merging of some primaries. “We do not want to close any schools,” said council deputy leader and education lead Heather Codling (Lib Dem, Chieveley and Cold Ash). “But we could see two schools have one headteacher. We are working with heads and we would like to hang on to our schools.”
Ms Codling criticised a similar move by Equinox Learning Trust and said the council would object where needed: “Equnox also did this so they can say they offer a curriculum from aged four to 19, but it is a national curriculum, so I don’t buy that argument. The council is against this maneouvre and we will be putting in objections. If Kennet do what they do and Downs do what they do, there will be inconsistencies in our education offer here. We want a seamless process. I understand why parents are concerned and we are seeing a lot of upset caused by this.”
The Summit Education Trust, which now runs The Downs as an academy, said: “The current consultation relates to the order of oversubscription criteria, not to who can apply to The Downs School.” The trust added: “One of the proposals being consulted on is whether some priority should be given to children already attending Summit Education Trust primary schools, reflecting the trust’s aim of providing a more seamless education from primary to secondary through close curriculum collaboration and transition support. All feedback will be carefully considered before any final arrangements are agreed. The Downs School continues to attract strong interest from families across the area and remains committed to offering places transparently and in line with the School Admissions policy.”
The Summit Education Trust is a new multi academy trust. It doesn’t yet have a website.
Wider pressures include a falling birth rate and shrinking primary intakes in West Berkshire. Nine rural schools had fewer than 10 new pupils last year: Hampstead Norreys had three, Beedon had two and Beenham six. Schools receive funding per pupil, so low enrolment often forces cuts. The Downs’ approved Year 7 intake was increased from 180 to 210 from September 2018.
West Berkshire Council said it is consulting with schools on options including reduced intake numbers, working across campuses and introducing small SEN classes or units. “We are an ageing population in West Berkshire, even with new housing not many new families are coming in,” added Ms Codling. “Heads have been coming to us, and of course they all want to keep their schools.”
Niki Hinman, Local Democracy Reporter
