There are a lot of issues to think about when moving to a new area. However, one of the most important concerns for families who have children is what education options there are in the area.
For those who have teenagers this may be even more important, as they are at a crucial stage in their education where they will be thinking about their future careers.
Catchment areas
If you have already found a home and want find out which schools you are in the catchment area for, then you can visit the Wokingham Borough Council website. Here you will be able to enter your post code to find the nearest secondary schools, as these will be the schools that your child will have the highest priority of admissions too. However, a school place is not guaranteed even if you live in the designated catchment area.
You can apply for your teen to go to a school outside your catchment area, however it is less likely that they will receive a place, as those nearer will be given priority.
What are the most prominent schools in the area?
The top-performing school in the region, based on the school league tables is Bearwood College. This co-educational independent school is a day and boarding school for those aged 11-18 years. The second top-performer in the league tables is the Bulmershe school, which is a comprehensive mixed-sex facility based in Reading.
This is followed by The Emmbrook School, Forest School (an all-boys facility), The Holt School, Luckley-Oakfield School and Maiden Erlegh School, which specialises in arts as well as business and enterprise.
Most of these places also host sixth-forms, so teenagers may want to carry on at these facilities, or perhaps look at some of the colleges in the area – particularly if they have their eye on doing a vocational course.
Colleges
The main college in the region is Bracknell and Wokingham College, which offers A-levels, as well as apprenticeships and other vocational courses for teens to choose from.
Reading College is also nearby and offers courses for those aged 14-19 years. Again, a range of A-levels and course are offered, as well as NVQs and vocational courses.
For more information
Some of the academies may not have all the information that you need to know, such as their admissions policies, on the council website. If this is the case, you may have to look directly on the individual school website or simply give the school a call. You will naturally want to look on college or sixth-form websites to see the exact courses that are on offer and subsequently work out when the next open days are being held…