Packed summer of fun across Reading
Play Days, a teddy bears’ picnic in the park, messy play and a special rhymetime in the Abbey Ruins, are among the fun range of activities the Council is laying on for kids over the summer holidays.
Children’s Centres across the borough are hosting events to keep youngsters occupied through the summer break. The centres will be open throughout the summer holiday offering activities from 25th July to 10th September 2018.
The holiday programme across Reading’s Children’s Centres includes messy play, make & take crafts, bumps & babies, wet play, rhymetimes and storytimes. There is a teddy bears’ picnic at Prospect Park to look forward to on 10th August. Details of all the summer programmes at Reading’s Children’s Centres can be found at: servicesguide.reading.gov.uk.
Reading Play run three holiday clubs in Reading, at Katesgrove (Waterloo Meadows), Caversham (The Hill) and South Reading (Green Park).
Over the summer, the Reading Play team has some exciting fun days on offer at the Outpost (located next to Rivermead) including favourites like Owen’s Animals – animal handling sessions, crazy golf, falconry, circus skills, archery, laser guns, soft play and more. Activities run every day from Monday 30th July until Friday 17th August. Later in the summer holiday they will be at Prospect Park, from 24th until 31st t August. To find out more about upcoming activities visit: readingplay.co.uk
Reading Library Service is holding a special rhymetime in the Abbey Ruins on Friday 27th July. Staff from Reading Libraries and the ever popular Teddies Music Club, are hosting the special rhymetime in the newly opened Abbey Ruins, between 10am and 12pm, with singing starting at 10.30am.
As well as offering their ever popular library rhymetimes and storytimes, Reading Libraries are also calling for children to sign up to read six books this summer as part of Mischief Makers – the Beano themed Summer Reading Challenge 2018. Children are challenged to borrow and read at least six books over the holidays, and are rewarded for each book read. reading.gov.uk/libraries
Reading Museum is hosting events throughout the summer at the main museum and the newly renovated Abbey Gateway and the Abbey Ruins. There are a number of exciting craft sessions, including crown making, kite making and a bug club craft workshop for families. Other activities include a medieval animal trail and a number of family friendly tours. The museum also offer free story time sessions for tots every Wednesday at 10.30am. Visit readingmuseum.org.uk/museum/whats-on
Councillor Liz Terry, Reading’s Lead Councillor for Children’s Services, said:
“We know it can be difficult to find affordable ways to keep kids occupied through the long summer break but we hope our programme of events this summer offers something for everyone.
“The Council’s Children’s Centres offer a fantastic range of activities for families and don’t forget to check out what’s on at Reading Museum, Reading Library Service and Reading Play, as they all have a great range of activities for kids this summer. Whilst the weather so nice, why not also take advantage of all the beautiful parks and open spaces across the borough.”
For families looking to get out and about, there are many beautiful parks and gardens in Reading with play areas, a paddling pool and space to play games and not forgetting all the activities on offer at Reading’s RSL Centres at Meadway, Palmer Park and South Reading; including swim lessons, pool inflatable sessions, RFC Soccer Sessions and lots more. Visit reading.gov.uk/parks and readingleisure.co.uk for more information.
A-level results 2018
The number of pupils achieving the highest A-level grades increased in Reading this year, according to provisional figures collated by the Council.
Sixty-two percent of students achieved A*–B across the borough compared with 57 per cent last year.
The number of young people achieving A*–C passes was 77 per cent compared with 78 per cent in 2017 and the number passing A*–E was 94 per cent compared with 98 per cent last year.
Cllr Ashley Pearce, Reading’s Lead Councillor for Education, said:
“Students across Reading continue to achieve excellent results in their A level exams, with increases in the top grades achieved across many of our schools, alongside more pupils sitting these tougher exams. Every one of our schools is striving year on year for improvements in exam performance against the backdrop of lower funding from central Government and a difficult recruitment arena.
“Every student’s successful result is the culmination of years of hard work from themselves, their teachers and their parents. Everyone involved is a vital part of the school system and each should be congratulated. Overall results and percentages tend to be looked at on days like this, but it is the importance of these results to each individual student that really counts and the difference they can make to these young people’s lives.”
Children in care art displayed at Reading Museum
Artwork created by children in care has been put on display at Reading Museum.
A group of young people who live away from their natural parents have given an insight into their lives through the pieces of art called ‘In our Shoes’ and ‘Helping Hands’.
The children and young people, who are part of the Children in Care Council, meet regularly every month to take part in activities together and the pieces of art were created during these sessions.
Reading Mayor Cllr Deborah Edwards visited the display at Reading Museum on Wednesday 30th May and met some of the children who had created the artwork.
The striking ‘In our Shoes’ display was created by the young people using their old shoes. Their introduction to the display explains:
“These shoes show the journey of our life in care. The words explain how we felt going into care, how we feel now. Our shoes we created show sometimes it was fun and sometimes hard being in care. It was important to us to take time designing and creating our shoes and we wanted people to understand how children in care feel.”
The thoughtful ‘Helping Hands’ pieces have been created by the children to express how they respect and value their foster carers who provide them with a safe and stable home environment. Their introduction to the display says:
“These hands are the hands that have helped us. They are our foster parents who have helped us by looking after us and keep us safe because we can’t live with our families. We would like to thank our foster carers who are amazing.”
One of the young people said after the museum visit:
“I feel thrilled that everybody that visits the Museum gets to see what we have done and understands what it’s like living our life.”
Another said: “It was a good experience to see it myself and made me feel proud that other people would be able to see it.”
Cllr Liz Terry, Lead Councillor for Children’s Services, said:
“Living away from your parents can be a big change and difficult time for children. Things don’t always go smoothly but most children appreciate having someone to care for them.
“Children recognise their foster carer as someone who is there to keep them safe and look after them and they often form great relationships.
“This touching art project has given children in care an opportunity to express their feelings and give a personal view of their journey so far.”
Cllr Sarah Hacker, Lead Councillor for Culture, Heritage and Recreation, said:
“Art is a great way for individuals to explore their emotions and to give others an insight into how they are feeling.
“I hope this fabulous project is the start of a great creative relationship between the children in care team and Reading Museum.”
New children’s services company starts formation with selection of name and appointment of Chair
Significant steps have been taken to form the new company which will run Reading’s Children Services.
The company now has a name, a company Chair and a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed to move forward the creation of the organisation. A grant of £2.9m to implement the project has been agreed by the Secretary of State.
Brighter Futures for Children has been chosen as the name for the new company following a consultation involving young people, residents and Council officers across Reading.
The company has started to form its new senior leadership team. Deborah Jenkins MBE DL has been appointed as Chair in a joint decision by the Council, Department for Education (DfE) and the Children’s Commissioner Nick Whitfield. Ms Jenkins’ experience as Chair for Together for Children in Sunderland will be invaluable in driving improvements in Reading.
The first official steps in the formation of Brighter Futures for Children has been completed as the Memorandum of Understanding has now been signed between Reading Borough Council and the DfE, meaning the company has officially agreed the outline for its terms, requirements and responsibilities.
Plans for the new organisation were developed by the Council in partnership with Nick Whitfield, the government’s Commissioner for Children’s Services, and the Department for Education.
Councillor Jo Lovelock, the Leader of Reading Borough Council, said:
“It is exciting that good progress is being made in setting up the new children’s company which will provide Children’s Social Care, Early Help, Education and Health Services in Reading.
“The creation of Brighter Futures for Children will allow a fundamental change in the way children’s services are delivered in Reading and will build on the tremendous amount of hard work that has already gone into driving the service forward.”
Peter Sloman, Chief Executive of Reading Borough Council, said:
“The formation of the new company for Reading’s children’s services is now building momentum.
“Brighter Futures for Children is set to bring the flexibility for change that is needed in Reading. I look forward to seeing the company progress in the coming months and welcome the opportunity it will bring to deliver services differently for the children and young people of Reading.”
Ms Jenkins said:
“I’m very excited to be joining the team at Brighter Futures for Children on a journey which will bring real opportunities for the children and young people of Reading.
“My experience of Chairing Sunderland’s children’s services has shown that the independence created by having the new company has brought a real chance to do things with a fresh approach and to be different to what has gone before.
“I’m looking forward to meeting children, staff and partners to understand what’s working and what needs to change. If we can listen to each other, share ideas and work together, I have every confidence that we can use this once in a generation chance to improve life chances for children.”
Notes to editors
Reading Borough Council has been working closely with the Department for Education (DfE) to drive improvement in Children’s Services following an Ofsted inspection in 2016. DfE appointed Commissioner Nick Whitfield recommended that the Council’s Children’s Services should be transferred to a company, wholly-owned by the Council.
The Council supported the recommendation to establish a company to deliver children’s social care, early help, education and health services.
The aim is to have a shadow company in place by mid-summer 2018 and for the company to go live in October 2018.