Wokingham Borough Connect
Alongside our SEND Local Offer webpages and our Local Offer Directory, this half-termly newsletter brings news and updates about what's on offer locally for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), directly to your inbox.
This issue includes:
- An opportunity to shape two of our new strategies to help people with SEND to live, learn and be well
- Ideas for family activities over the summer holidays
- Details of free workshops coming up in the autumn term
 Feedback from our preparing for adulthood event
We recently invited young people and their families to attend a market stall event on the theme of preparing for adulthood.
The event was attended by over 70 people and brought together a range of information and local support services to help young people with SEND to explore their post-16 options.
Families gave us lots of positive feedback about the event as well as some helpful suggestions for the future. We plan to repeat this event in 2025 and will provide more details about this closer to the time.
 Community spirit at Chiltern Way Academy
Students at Chiltern Way Academy recently took part in two community days where they chose to volunteer at local churches in Wokingham and complete projects at their school.
Some of the projects included building an impressive new fence and picnic bench, starting work on a sensory garden and creating a tile mosaic to display in school.
This was followed by a barbecue for the school to share, prepared and cooked by students. Chiltern Way organise their community days each year to give their pupils a chance to develop new skills and give back to their school and wider community.
 Help shape our new strategies
We have launched consultations to shape two strategies to help people with SEND to live, learn and be well.
The two draft strategies we are consulting on are:
You can read the full information and see draft copies of the strategies on the Engage Wokingham Borough website.
Both strategies have been developed with extensive feedback and input from people within the SEND and autism communities, including children, young people and adults, parents, carers, schools, health and partner organisations.
They will help shape services and action plans that will support to have access to the things they need to thrive including secure housing, safe and strong communities and places, good jobs with fair pay and quality education.
People are invited to share their feedback on the principles and priorities that make up the draft strategies between now and 20 August.
 Take part in SEND Voices Wokingham's survey
Wokingham Borough's independent parent carer forum, SEND Voices Wokingham, run an annual survey to understand where services are working well and where improvements still need to be made.
The survey will run until Friday 19 July and is open to all families who live in Wokingham Borough with a child aged up to 25 years with SEND.
By completing the survey, families will have the option to be entered into a prize draw to win one of five £20 Amazon vouchers.
The feedback from families about their lived experiences is so important for SEND Voices Wokingham to help improve SEND services in Wokingham Borough. They will use the answers from the survey to prioritise their work and to make sure they are the areas that are most important to families.
More information and a link to the survey can be found on the SEND Voices Wokingham website.
 Free workshops about preparing for adulthood
The Berkshire West Autism & ADHD Support Service are hosting two free online workshops this week on the theme of preparing for adulthood.
The workshops are aimed at parents and carers who have a young person with autism or ADHD who is moving on from education.
The workshops are:
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Wednesday 10 July, 10am to 11.30am
Leaving school – what’s next? With speakers from the SEND Local Offer Directory teams from Reading, Wokingham Borough and West Berkshire councils
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Friday 12 July, 10am to 11.30am
Supported Internships for young autistic and ADHD people with Maurice George, the CEO of Ways into Work
More information and booking links can be found on the Autism Berkshire website.
 August stay and play sessions at Our House
Local charity Building for the Future are offering stay and play sessions throughout August at their accessible play centre, Our House, in Wokingham.
The facilities include a soft-play area, sensory room, teen chill-out zone, toys for all ages, an outdoor space and a parents’ room. They also have an accessible bathroom with hoist and full size change table.
For more details and dates, visit their listing on the Local Offer Directory.
 Family sessions at Camp Mohawk
Camp Mohawk is a multi-functional day centre for children with special needs and their families, set in five acres of countryside, just outside Wargrave.
During the summer holidays they are open to families for two sessions per day. Families have to register with Camp Mohawk first, and sessions need to be booked in advance.
More details about registering can be found on the Camp Mohawk website.
 Meet the farm animals at Miller's Ark
The Museum of English Rural Life in Reading are hosting an event geared towards neurodivergent visitors and their families on Friday 23 August, from 10 to 11.30am.
The event aims to be a relaxed session where families can bring a picnic, meet the Miller’s Ark farm animals and enjoy other activities in the museum's garden.
The garden will be closed to the of rest public to ensure it is a quieter experience for families, plus there will be:
- Social stories and visual timetables
- A breakout space and ear defenders
- Sensory backpacks and sensory gadgets
Booking information can be found on the The Museum of Rural Life's website.
 Summer Reading Challenge is back!
The theme for this year's Summer Reading Challenge has been revealed as 'Marvellous Makers' and is all about inspiring children to get creative through story telling, music, photography, dancing and model making.
Organised by The Reading Agency, children will be able to sign up for the challenge at any Wokingham Borough library from Monday 1 July.
Libraries across Wokingham Borough are also putting on Summer Reading Challenge activity sessions during the summer holidays. The sessions will include activities such as crafts, junk modelling, board games and Lego. Find out more on the Wokingham Borough libraries events page.
 Multi-sensory books at Wokingham Library
Developed in partnership with the Wokingham Learning Disability Partnership Board, The Tall Tales service provides multi-sensory story books for people with learning disabilities. The books are designed for those who may find it difficult to access mainstream books, and are told interactively through voice and emotion rather than words and pictures.
More details and a list of books to borrow can be found on the Wokingham Borough Council website.
 Free upcoming autism workshops
The Berkshire West Autism & ADHD Support Service are hosting a range of online autism advice workshops in the autumn term.
There are workshops for parents and carers who are new to autism which will cover:
- Understanding more about autism
- Sensory differences
- Supporting behaviour
- Emotional regulation
- Eating and mealtime challenges
There are also workshops with a focus on autism in teenagers. These are tailored for parents of autistic children aged 11 to 18, who are in mainstream education.
Full details and booking information is available on the Autism Berkshire website.
Workshops for autistic adults, aged 18 and up
The Berkshire Adult Autism Support Service also host workshops and courses for autistic adults, to help them increase their understanding of aspects of autism and increase their confidence navigating daily life and social situations.
More details are available on the Autism Berkshire website.
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