AN OPEN evening for a new secondary school opening in Reading is to be held next week.
The River Academy in Richfield Avenue is located next to Rivermead Leisure Centre and the Reading Festival site. It will be run by the Maiden Erlegh Trust, which manages schools in Earley, East Reading and Sonning Common.
Once complete, it will host a total of 1,500 pupils aged 11-16 within eight-year groups, and a 300-place sixth form. It will open to Year 7 pupils in September next year.
A spokesperson for the Trust said: “The other year groups will open up year on year until the school is full.
“For entry into Year 7 in September, parents will need to complete the additional application form which can be found on the River Academy website.
“It can also be obtained from Brighter Futures for Children who are managing the admission process on behalf of River Academy.”
Ahead of its opening, the school’s appointed headteacher and staff are holding an open evening at the Rivermead Leisure Complex from 5pm to 7.30pm on Wednesday, September 20.
Booking is required using an online form on the Maiden Erlegh Trust website.
The plan for the River Academy was approved in June 2022, with hopes that it could open this year.
A site in Richfield Avenue was initially considered by the council as a place for permanent pitches for travelling communities, but that plan was abandoned in favour of a school being built in the area.
Since then, the council settled on a location for seven Traveller pitches in Island Road, Whitley, a project that was approved in October 2022.
