Opening of new primary school delayed again to 2028

The opening of a new primary school planned in Chiltern Road will be delayed until at least September 2028 because of a surplus in school places.

In December 2023, councillors supported the opening of a new school in Chiltern Road, Maidenhead, ‘in principle’.

But they decided to delay its opening until September 2026. A further delay until September 2027 was agreed last year.

Now, at a Royal Borough Cabinet meeting on Tuesday (November 25), another delay until at least September 2028 was passed.

Councillors will reconsider this decision in Autumn next year. Until then, the site in Chiltern Road will continue to run as a SEND careers hub run by Manor Green School.

Councillor Amy Tisi (Lib Dem, Clewer East), the Royal Borough’s cabinet member for children’s services and education said: “Opening [the Chiltern Road primary school] could mean an extra surplus of places.”

This decision follows a report which predicts how many school places are needed across Maidenhead and Windsor from 2025 to 2029.

The report said that overall demand for primary school and reception places in Maidenhead and Windsor is low, while the need for secondary school places remains stable.

Cllr Tisi said: “Birth rates are lower than they have been in the past. People are not having as many children, and net inward migration to the borough of children between zero and four years old has been varied.”

“There is not enough housing being built to offset that…and the new housing that is coming will take time to feed into [the need for more places]”

Typically, a five per cent surplus of school places in RBWM is kept in case more families move into the borough.

However, in Windsor, school demand for places is falling rapidly to around a 25 per cent surplus. School places will need to be reduced to control that surplus, Cllr Tisi said.

Cllr Tisi added: “That [surplus] puts pressure on schools because pupils mean [higher costs], it means funding and when schools can’t maintain and fill those seats, it can put real demand on the budgets.”

Cllr Mark Wilson (Lib Dem, Eton and Castle) agreed that this backs up the need for more first-time-buyer homes to encourage younger people to move into the borough.