New secondary school in west Reading - Success

The issue:

Due to a historic lack of planning, Reading currently has a big shortage of primary school places, which will soon feed in to a shortage in secondary school places. Local parents, many of whom were part of the campaign to open All Saints Junior School, came together to form the West Reading Education Network (WREN) to open a new secondary Free School in west Reading, which will eventually provide around 1,200 school places.

Achievements to date:

  • Alok extensively lobbied Ministers and Officials at the Department for Education for permission to open a new secondary Free School in west Reading.

  • Alok contacted local primary schools and helped organise public meetings to help boost parent support for WREN’s application.

  • After WREN received permission from the Department for Education to establish a new secondary school, Alok worked extensively with WREN to help secure the former Elvian School site for the school.

  • Alok spoke at a Public Inquiry about the use of the Elvian School site, which was eventually won by the WREN team.

  • Alok has been appointed as a Patron of The Wren School.

  • The Wren School is due to open in September 2015.

Alok says:

“The opening of a new secondary school is fantastic news for the children and parents in my constituency and it has been an absolute joy to work with my friends at WREN in helping deliver this new school for our community. My sincere thanks and congratulations to everyone involved with the WREN project, but especially to Mischa Tytel and Nik Rusic for leading from the front.”