 Extra funding to support SEND students
Education for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is set for further improvement in Wokingham Borough thanks to a £6.3 million Government contribution.
The Department for Education (DfE) has approved our application, which we sought as extra capital funding on top of our existing allocation for high needs students.
This will help us develop new services to meet demand which, like everywhere else in the country, is growing.
We plan to invest the money in several ways, including new facilities for children with SEND which would be attached to mainstream schools.
This will allow more pupils to learn closer to home rather than travelling outside the borough, which can be disruptive and an inefficient use of resources.
We were invited to apply for the funding, part of a £2.6 billion sum being invested nationally, as part of the Safety Valve programme for areas facing very high SEND demand.
Check our Right Spaces, Right Places engagement page for more on our project to improve services across the borough for children and young people with SEND.
 Don’t put knives in your blue bin bags
We’ve seen an increase in sharp items, like knives, scissors, blades and broken glass, being found in the blue rubbish bags.
Not long ago, one of our waste collection crews was injured by pieces of broken glass poked through a blue bag.
The safety of our crews and passers-by is so important. Keep them safe by disposing of sharp items properly. Broken glassware should be wrapped before putting it out with your rubbish.
Glass jars and bottles of any colour can now be recycled at all glass banks. Check out the re3 website for more on glass recycling.
Unwanted knives, scissors and blades can be recycled too, so please take them to re3 recycling centres, instead of binning them.
 Celebrating our foster carers
We've been marking Foster Care Fortnight in recent weeks, celebrating the passion and dedication of foster carers in our borough.
There's a great range of support for foster carers, including:
- Council tax exemption
- From £140 a week per child you foster, plus extra for summer activities, birthdays and Christmas
- A range of training opportunities
- 24 hour support from our fostering team
- Local groups and family activities
Visit the fostering website for more information, or email fostering@wokingham.gov.uk
 10 popular stories you might have missed from 2023
Here are some of most read updates for residents since the start of the year in case you’ve missed them:
- Council and ramblers join forces for new walking routes map
- Changes to rubbish and recycling given the go-ahead
- Plans to take on moving traffic offences approved
- Parking fees will increase to protect frontline services
- SEND places to increase with two new specialist schools approved
- Boutique Pilates studio opens in Wokingham
- Thousands of new trees to honour borough’s Covid losses
- Suspected ‘cuckoos’ thrown out of nest after council action
- Check who is clearing your waste or risk a fine
- Residents and council defend village from unsuitable development
 Carnival Hub in the running for award
The Carnival Hub project has been recognised again by the Constructing Excellence Awards.
The project has been named as a finalist for the Sustainability and Project of the Year awards, with both entries for the achievements at Carnival Hub, Wokingham’s flagship community building.
The hub, which opened in July last year, is home to the new Wokingham Leisure Centre and Wokingham Library. It has swimming pools, a health suite, 120-station fitness suite, a café and dual-purpose hall for sports or cultural performances.
Carnival Hub was put forward for the awards by HLM Architects, the master planning and landscape architects, and project manager Faithful+Gould. We also worked on this project with contractor Pellikaan Construction and Roberts Limbrick, the sport, leisure and community architects.
What you might have missed
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