A school in Reading could sell part of its land to fund a sports centre, as well as a 3G pitch which would be available to the public.

Reading School says its current sports facilities at Erleigh Road and Morgan Road fall short of modern standards and it currently has no sports centre at the school.

The school wants to sell part of the playing fields it owns at Morgan Road to fund a new sports centre at the main Erleigh Road campus, as well as new facilities at Morgan Road Playing Fields.

Reading School recently revealed in a newsletter that a £500,000 donation from a 96-year-old saved the roof of its main building.

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The sports facilities on Morgan Road are of poor quality, according to the school, which wants to offer its pupils a greater range of sport, played in modern surroundings, all year round.

To achieve this, Reading School says it needs to “make better use of what it already has and invest in improved facilities”.

As well as funding a new sports centre on Erleigh Road, the school wants to create a 3G sports pitch and a 3/4-sized grass sports pitch at the Morgan Road Playing Fields.

The 3G pitch would be available for use across the school year and would also be open for out-of-hours use by the local community.

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Reading School says say the traditional grass pitches currently in place at Morgan Road are poorly drained, which limits their use particularly during the winter months.

The school says the sale would also allow it to build “desperately-needed” changing facilities at Morgan Road Playing Fields and to renovate the school’s swimming pool.

Before the school asks the Department for Education (DfE) for permission to sell part of the playing fields, it is asking for the views of people in Reading.

You can find out more about the proposals and respond to the consultation here.

If the sale does not happen, the school says it will not be able to afford to improve its sports facilities.

What could happen to the land?

If the DfE allows the sale of the part of land Reading School no longer wants, the site would be opened up to offers, but any development on the land would require planning permission from Reading Borough Council (RBC) and prior consultation with residents, neighbours, and the broader community.

As part of the consultation, Reading School is asking other primary and secondary schools in the area if they are short on outside play space and require additional land.