Central Bedfordshire Council news and press releases

Have your say on school admissions changes

Friday, 20 December 2024

We're inviting residents to share their views on proposed changes to the school admission arrangements.

This affects Dunton CofE Junior School, Wrestlingworth CofE Infant School, and Edward Peake CofE VC Secondary School.

The proposals for the 2026/27 academic year aim to streamline the educational pathway for children and young people in the Biggleswade area. Following the transition of Wrestlingworth to an infant school and Dunton to a junior school in September 2024, we propose merging their catchment areas, to ensure seamless access to education from key stage 1 (5 to 7 years old) at Wrestlingworth to key stage 2 (7 to 11 years old) at Dunton.

This would prioritise all children living in the current catchment areas for either school, which includes the parishes of Dunton, Eyeworth, Wrestlingworth, and Cockayne Hatley, while siblings of children at either school would also be prioritised to enable families to be kept together with equal educational access.

Additionally, we propose amending Edward Peake School’s admissions criteria to reflect the removal of Wrestlingworth as a feeder school, as Wrestlingworth now educates only up to year 2 (6 to 7 years old), while Edward Peake became a secondary school in September 2024, now educating pupils from year 7 (11 to 12 years old).

Councillor Steve Owen, our Executive Member for Children's Services, said:

These proposed changes reflect the three-to-two-tier educational restructuring that has now taken place within Biggleswade and the surrounding areas. They are also part of our commitment to ensuring every child has access to fair, efficient, and family-friendly educational pathways. We encourage parents and everyone in the community to review the proposals and share their feedback.

Have your say on school admission arrangements for the academic year 2026 to 2027.