03/10/2026
School catchments remain one of the biggest drivers for 🏡 buyers in our region. Elite grammars like Reading Boys and Kendrick Girls are so competitive that many parents balance independent school fees while waiting for a spot or looking for the right home. Having been through this journey personally, I know exactly how much planning it takes!
How much weight did school league tables carry when you chose your current neighbourhood? 🏫📉 ...Or looking back like us, did you find the competitive market worth the transition? 🤔
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At one of the best schools in Reading, only 13 per cent of the pupils are White British, it has been revealed.
Reading School was founded in connection with the Abbey in 1125, and has been an educational institution for boys ever since.
It is a state selective grammar school, meaning pupils must pass an entry exam to be given the opportunity to enrol.
Department of Education statistics show that 13.2 per cent of the boys at the school were White British, in figures initially reported in The Times.
The publication has repeatedly named it as one of the best state schools in the South East.
But the figure has been seized on by right-wing media and political figures, particularly Restore Britain, an overtly right-wing political party launched this year.
Posting on Facebook, its leader Rupert Lowe MP said: “It’s reported in the Times that one school in Berkshire was 49 per cent white British a decade ago and now is 13 per cent.
“Nationally, it has fallen in grammar schools from 66 per cent to 44 per cent in a decade.
“This is staggering. This is unacceptable.
“Immigration has totally transformed Britain, and we’re told to accept it without question.
“No more.
“We are allowed to be upset about this, we are allowed to democratically resist it.
“That is exactly what Restore Britain will do. Demographic security matters.”
Charlie Downes, campaigns director and spokesman for Restore Britain, reposting Mr Lowe’s message on X, said: “The White British were a minority in the classroom a decade ago in some places. We are so much closer to the abyss than anyone realises.”
Senior teaching staff at Reading School have addressed the figures.
In an article on the Mail Online, Reverend Chris Evans thought that White British parents may have unfounded beliefs that their boys would be ‘hot-housed’ at the grammar school.
The phrase refers to pushing young children to advanced teaching before they are naturally ready.
The school is eager to tackle these misconceptions.
In an attempt to address the issue, Reading School is conducting outreach to local primary schools, and adjustments have been made to its admissions policy.
These changes have been highlighted by both Reverend Evans and Greg Fairchild, an assistant headteacher.
Mr Fairchild, who also serves as the school’s director of admissions, said: “Under-representation of any and all groups is an issue that Reading School is determined to address.
“If we think of admission to Reading School as a funnel, we can best remedy this at the top.
“We want all bright local boys to consider Reading School as a welcoming and achievable option for their secondary schooling, irrespective of their ethnicity.
“Currently, there are Reading postcodes and Reading primary schools from whom we get very little interest at our Open Days, despite us knowing that there are curious and creative boys working hard under the tutelage of fantastic primary school teachers.
“That is why we have taken the bold step of giving priority to bright boys who live in Reading postcodes from Woodley to Tilehurst and Caversham to Whitley, and going one step further by also prioritising bright boys who go to state primary schools within a few miles of Reading School.
“We think that paying vast amounts of money for poor quality 11+ tutoring is damaging both to childrens’ wellbeing and to parents’ pockets, so our new entrance test now only covers topics that boys have learnt up until the end of Year 5 in their primary school.
“The test pattern and content is unpredictable so that 11+ tutoring is a waste of both your money and your free time!
“We hope that this will encourage those curious boys with agile minds from all backgrounds to come and give our test a go.”
Furthermore, he suggested that families may be put off by thinking Reading School is private, rather than being state selective.
Mr Fairchild said: “Reading School’s similarity in look to Hogwarts Castle is a huge barrier, as it can be mistaken for a stuffy private school – most local children were born at Royal Berkshire Hospital, without even realising that the school immediately opposite is free to go to and fantastic fun – last week we had boys cooking their lunch on open fires, test-firing rockets and winning national sports competitions!
“We are well aware of the scale of the under-representation and will pull every lever possible to ensure that Reading School admissions reflects the diversity of talent found across our fantastic town.
“We encourage local primary school teachers and families to reach out to us on [email protected] with their questions so we can bust some misconceptions about Reading School.
“Research has shown that reasons for unevenness of admissions are complex – from socio-economic background to parental engagement, access to information to prior attainment and familiarity with process.
“To reduce this to ethnicity alone is therefore reductive, but we agree that the statistics are one narrow indicator of under-representation that we are determined to address.”
Mr Lowe was elected as the Reform UK MP for Great Yarmouth during the general election in 2024.
He was suspended from the party in March 2025 over allegations of workplace bullying and threats of physical violence against party chairman Zia Yusuf.
Mr Lowe then founded Restore Britain in June 2025, initially as a pressure group before becoming a political party in February this year.
✍Original copy by James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
