Ryeish Green
Reading
Royal County of Berkshire
RG7 1ER
United Kingdom| Ryeish Green School | |
| Motto | Building on Previous Best |
| Established | 1911 |
| Closed | TBA, 2011 or 2012 |
| Type | Comprehensive |
| Headteacher | Mrs J.L. Garner |
| Location | Hyde End Lane Ryeish Green Reading Royal County of Berkshire RG7 1ER United Kingdom |
| LEA | Wokingham |
| Gender | Boys & Girls |
| Ages | 11 to 18 |
| School colours | Blue |
| Website | Ryeish Green School: Wokingham |
Ryeish Green School is a comprehensive secondary school located in the hamlet of Ryeish Green, near Spencers Wood in Reading, Berkshire. Their mission statement is to Build a community spirit where all have a sense of belonging and self worth is valued.[1]
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Ryeish Green School was originally called Three Mile Cross Primary School when it was built in 1911. It originally taught pupils aged 5 to 14 years. Its first headmaster was Mr Reeley.
After World War II , the school modernised, expanded and amalgamated with a school in Spencers Wood (what is now the village library) to become a senior school.
Ryeish Green's immediate future is undetermined. Wokingham Borough Council has tried a number of times to close the school and its latest attempt has been met with some success.
The official reason for the closure is falling student numbers (caused in part by the constant speculation of closure) which were down from 904 in 2002 to 746 in 2006. However it is suspected that Wokingham Borough Council does not want to provide a school so close to the borough's boundary and wants to develop the site.
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"Ryeish Green was the most improved secondary school in the area" |
| Frank Browne, Wokingham District Council leader who is a supporter of the school's closure [2] |
In 2007 the decision to close it was upheld. The school is appealing the decision.
If the school is closed, there is controversy about where the pupils will go. It is believed that the nearby Madjeski Academy will take some pupils, but most will have to be taken in by other schools in the area. This is causing discontent throughout the area, so officially, the Ryeish Green catchment area will be part of The Bulmershe School, although it is unclear whether this will remain tenable.
If the school were to stay, it would be ideally placed for the many new housing developments in the area. Likewise, if it were to go, it would be a prime location for development of another housing estate or a supermarket.
In 2007, an independent candidate stood in the local council elections running on a Save Ryeish Green School ticket. Although both Labour and Liberal candidates stood down in favour of him, he fell a few votes short of the Tory candidate who is in favour of closing the school.
One of Ryeish Green's most valuable facilities is its Special Educational Needs Centre which provides education to many disabled people throughout the area.
On the morning of 2 May 2008, Ryeish Green sixth-form student Robert Spence was stabbed in Reading town centre and later died. Robert has "successfully studied a broad range of subjects" according to the headmistress Mrs. Garner. Two men were arrested in connection with the stabbing on 15 May.[4]