Boulters Meadow children to have choice of Riverside or St Luke's

Members of the Royal Borough's children's services scrutiny panel agreed unanimously at a meeting at Maidenhead Town Hall yesterday to a plan that would solve the problem.

It will combine into one the previously agreed separate 'designated' areas covering two schools in Cookham Road - the recently expanded Riverside Primary School and Nursery and St Luke's Church of England Primary School.

The schools' separate designated areas would have made it harder for parents in Boulters Meadow to get their children into Riverside - even though the school's recent expansion to take 60 rather than 30 new reception pupils was intended to serve the development.

The change will give parents an equal choice of Riverside or St Luke's for their children.

The borough's head of education David Scott told councillors: "Normally it would take until September 2016 to introduce this change but we hope it can happen by 2015."

He said parents would still have plenty of time to apply for the school of their choice.

A submission will now be made to the schools adjudicator to make the change in time for September 2015.