Have your say on Feltham's new free school

The Free Schools Programme allows teachers, charities, parents and education experts to open schools and the Reach Academy's team of eight board members have been working hard behind the scenes to ensure the school is a success.

Trustee Ed Vainker, who will also be the school's principal, believes this latest consultation is an ideal way for the community to help shape the team's vision for the school.

He said: "The consultation is a statutory requirement but it's also something we really want to do and we regard it as another opportunity to get out and meet the community and find out what they are looking for in a new school.

"We're going to be out and about meeting people, talking to parents and getting their views so that we can really understand what the community wants and we can start more of the detailed planning of what the school will look like."

The Reach Academy will ultimately be a small through school, taking pupils in at age four and educating them until they are 18-years-old.

In its first year, the school will accept 60 reception pupils and 60 pupils starting secondary and applications are now open.

The team began the consultation last week and, although some free schools have attracted criticism in the past, Ed said they have so far received mostly positive comments.

He said: "We haven't had much negative feedback and I think there are a number of factors that have influenced that.

"One reason is that what we want to do is serve a community of highest need. With some free schools there is a perception that there's a risk of them coming in and wanting to cherry pick pupils from a particular part of the community, but that is not at all our intention.

"Also it's very clear that there is a real need for school places in Feltham so it isn't a situation where we're putting other local schools at risk - there are currently more children than there are school places."

Meetings for prospective parents will be held from 12-1pm and 6-8pm on Friday, January 27 and from 1-3pm on January 28 at Bedfont's Southville Children's Centre.

There will also be meetings at Feltham's Belverdere House from 2-4pm on February 4 and from 3-6pm on February 8.

Consultation meetings for the whole community will be held from 1-2pm on Friday, January 27 at Southville Children's Centre and from 6-7pm on February 8 at Belvedere House.

For more information about the school and its admissions arrangements visit www.reachacademyfeltham.com.