98% of Reading parents offered one of top three preferred primary schools for their child
98% of Reading parents who applied for a primary school place for their child starting school this September have been offered one of their top three preferred schools.
Brighter Futures for Children (BFfC) has successfully allocated school places for all primary school pupils in the borough.
Almost 94% of families were offered a place at their first preference primary school, which is a 3% increase on those offered their first choice last year (91%).
BFfC received 1,850 applications for primary school places this year, an increase of more than 120 compared to 2023.
A transfer from infant to junior school was needed for 126 pupils in Reading and 98% of on-time applicants got their first preference for this move.
Brian Grady, Director of Education at BFfC, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer so many Reading families a place for their child in one of their preferred schools this year, with a significant percentage offered their first choice.
“I’d like to personally thank all primary school staff for their continued commitment to making Reading such a popular choice and the Education team at BFfC for working tirelessly to ensure every child in the borough has been offered a place.
“Good luck to all children who start primary school this September and we send our best wishes for their big day.”
Reading primary school offers in 2024 and 2023
| Offers | 2024
(%) |
2023
(%) |
2024
(pupil numbers) |
2023
(pupil numbers) |
| 1st preference | 93.74% | 91% | 1,736 | 1,574 |
| 2nd preference | 3.4% | 6% | 63 | 99 |
| 3rd preference | 1.35% | 1% | 25 | 19 |
| 4th preference | 0.49% | 0.5% | 9 | 9 |
| Offered divert | 1% | 1.5% | 19 | 26 |
Reading SEND Local Offer more helpful than ever before
Almost 95% of people who contacted the statutory information service for Reading families who have children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) found it helpful or very helpful, new figures reveal.
The annual survey of Reading’s SEND Local Offer saw an increase in the percentage of people who gave the service a thumbs up to an all-time high, beating last year’s 93% satisfaction rate.
There was also a rise in the percentage of people who found everything they were looking for on the Local Offer, from 97% last year to more than 98.5% this year.
Respondents particularly liked the look and feel of the Local Offer website; the comprehensive information available; the search list filter options; and the advice and guidance pages.
Almost 80% of people currently registered for updates also take advantage of the weekly email sent out on activities, events and services.
And one lucky Reading mum who responded to the survey won a £50 Amazon voucher for completing it, which she collected with her two children (pictured).
The Reading SEND Local Offer won the Best SEND Local Offer at the National Association of Family Information Services Coram Family & Childcare Conference in both 2023 and 2021, as well as the Best Community Engagement award in 2022 and Best Promotion of 2-Year-Old Funding in 2023.
Delivery of the service in Reading is the responsibility of Brighter Futures for Children and a dedicated team works on both the Reading SEND Local Offer and the Family Information Service on its behalf.
The Reading SEND Local Offer website is hosted on the Reading Services Guide, alongside the Family Information Service and the Adults and Carers Support Service, which is managed by Reading Borough Council.
Di Smith, Board Chair of Brighter Futures for Children, said: “We are incredibly happy with the number of people who took the time to respond to the annual survey and are delighted that so many families found the service to be helpful.
“Even though it might appear from the impressive figures that there isn’t much room for growth, we are always listening to suggestions and looking for ways to improve so that we can offer the very best advice and information for Reading families of children with SEND living in Reading.”
Visit the Reading SEND Local Offer.
Notes to editors
To sign up to receive regular SEND Local Offer updates, please email localoffer@reading.gov.uk.
93.5% of Reading students offered preferred secondary school place
Brighter Futures for Children (BFfC) has made sure the 1,859 pupils starting secondary school in Reading have a place for September, despite strong competition.
Just over 93% of Reading students who applied have been offered a place in one of their preferred secondary schools this year.
The percentage who received their first or second preference is 86% compared with 87% last year. Of these, 91% were offered their first, second or third choice, with almost 72% of pupils (1,399) offered their first preference.
The percentage of students not allocated any of their preferences, but still offered a place in a Reading school, was 6% (127 pupils).
Brian Grady, Director of Education at BFfC, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to offer so many Reading children a place at one of their preferred secondary schools again this year.
“A huge thank you goes to our Admissions team, who have worked tirelessly to ensure all 1,859 applicants have a school place.
“We wish all pupils the best at their new school in September and hope they enjoy their time in secondary education.”
Cllr Ruth McEwan, Lead Councillor for Education and Public Health, said: “It is fantastic to see such a large number of Reading young people being offered their secondary school of choice this September. It takes a real collaborative effort to help so many get into one of their preferred schools.
"I would like to use this opportunity to thank our secondary schools for helping us to accommodate all students this year and wish every pupil the very best of luck in their new school."
Notes to editor
Brighter Futures for Children delivers children’s services, including education, on behalf of Reading Borough Council.
More information on secondary school places, including what happens after places are offered can be found on the BFfC website.
| Preference | Percentage of total students | Count of total students |
| Allocated By L A - No Offer | 6.49% | 127 |
| Preference 1 | 71.52% | 1399 |
| Preference 2 | 15.08% | 295 |
| Preference 3 | 4.96% | 97 |
| Preference 4 | 1.94% | 38 |
Mental Health Support Team shortlisted for national award
Brighter Futures for Children’s Mental Health Support Team (MHST) has been shortlisted for the Medium Team of the Year at the LGC Awards 2024.
The trailblazing team proudly support children and young people aged 5 to 18 years, with emerging, mild to moderate mental health needs, across an impressive total of 36 infant, junior, primary, secondary and specialist settings and a college in Reading. This is 16 more than 18 months ago as the team and education settings recognised the need for further support.
Shortlisted alongside seven other teams from across the country, the MHST is made up of senior educational psychologists, education mental health practitioners, wellbeing outreach workers, a primary mental health worker and a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) specialist clinician, plus business and data administrators, triage coordinator and an assistant education mental health practitioner.
They will be presenting to a panel of judges in April before the awards ceremony in June.
Brian Grady, Director of Education for Reading, said: “The MHST fully deserves to be shortlisted for this national award and does an incredible job as part of a wider mental health offer in Reading.
“The work of the team to promote and support mental health in Reading schools has helped children and young people feel open to talk about mental health and to understand what support is available.
“Locating the MHST within BFfC, which delivers children’s services, including education on Reading Borough Council’s behalf, has helped to embed a consistent and inclusive whole school approach to understanding and responding to mental health as part of BFfC’s wider commitment to being trauma informed and thinking therapeutically.”
RISE service now live for all settings in Reading
The Reading Inclusion Support in Education (RISE) service’s webpage is now live on the professional’s section of Brighter Futures for Children’s (BFfC) website.
RISE is a free-to-access service for all settings in Reading, delivered by BFfC, helping schools support all learners to achieve their potential by improving what they can offer.
The service supports schools by offering free training and coaching, audits, supervision and networks, and boasts specialists and consultants, including a Senior Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapist and Occupational Therapist, with experience and knowledge of the different areas of need. These include:
- Mental health
- Neurodiversity
- Behaviour
- Speech, language and communication
- Sensory needs
If a parent/carer feels that their child’s school could benefit from support from the RISE team, please discuss this with the school’s SEND department. Individual referrals are not accepted.
Brian Grady, Director of Education at BFfC, said: “The RISE service is a fantastic asset available to all Reading settings at no cost.
“The aim is to upskill Reading town and Reading schools so more children can be supported by the skills and knowledge that will be shared with teachers.”
Note to editors
The Reading Inclusion Support in Education (RISE) service’s page is now live on the professional’s section of the BFfC website.
School transport policy consultation now open
Brighter Futures for Children is seeking families’ views on proposed changes to its school transport policy. The consultation is open until Sunday 17 March 2024 and is related to the following proposals:
- That free transport entitlement for pupils attending Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge School is removed
- That travel assistance entitlement for eligible pupils is clarified and means an offer of a bus pass or school bus at a pickup point, with an expectation for active travel as part of a child’s healthy development
- That the policy clarifies the exceptional circumstances required to access any exceptional additional support in addition to travel assistance
- That the policy clarifies that parents are liable for costs incurred by Brighter Futures for Children on behalf of Reading Borough Council if children did not access travel assistance provided
- That the policy clarifies that students are not entitled to travel assistance post-16 except in appropriately-evidenced, exceptional circumstances.
Brian Grady, Director of Education at BFfC, said: "We are seeing increased pressures on transport budgets across the country, and local school place options have changed since the introduction of the free transportation to Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge school.
“It is important to us that the views of children and young people, alongside their families and carers who may be affected by the proposals, are carefully considered before any decision is made.”
A copy of the proposed new policy and a summary of changes can be found on the BFfC website, along with a short series of consultation questions and the current school transport policy. Please send responses to this consultation to School.Transport@brighterfuturesforchildren.org by midnight on 17 March 2024.