 School's sixth form to grow with new unit
The school will replace an existing administration block with a two-storey building, with work set to start this summer.
This will allow the school to accommodate up to 60 additional sixth form students, with the new unit set to open in September 2027.
The school will receive £3.837 million in funding from us for the main part of the project, which was agreed at our budget meeting in February.
Alongside the sixth form project, the school has expanded to eight-form entry, with an additional 150 places across the other year groups provided.
This will be the last Residents' Round-up sent on a Tuesday until early May.
We'll continue sending you updates on Fridays, with fewer updates due to the run up to local elections, which take place on Thursday 7 May.
There are restrictions on council communications during this period. We'll go back to our normal sending schedule once elections take place.
 Community hub coming to Woodley
A new community space in Woodley will be a centre for support services and a place for all residents to come together.
Funding to convert Woodley Library into a community hub was approved last month.
We'll now be working with residents and stakeholders to agree what it should provide to meet local needs. The library will remain, but will also house wider services from us and our partners
The Woodley Hub is the second facility being developed in partnership with the local community, similar to Arborfield Community Centre in Arborfield Green.
A community steering group will be set up to guide the project, as it has in Arborfield. The steering group will include representatives from Woodley Town Council, community partners and residents willing to get involved.
The Woodley Community Hub will be close to the Best Start Family Hub also being developed in the area. Families are being asked to tell us what is most needed in the family hub.
With these two hubs, Woodley is a key area of focus for us at the moment, with our joint bid for it to be recognised as the UK Town of Culture recently submitted.
 Commitment to consult with you on what matters
We have set out our commitment to engaging and consulting with the community.
Our executive approved a new Engagement and Consultation Strategy for the authority last week, which sets out how we will make sure residents and stakeholders are involved in decision-making.
The strategy includes the principles by which we will engagement and consult as well as the methods it will use. The principles committed to in the strategy are:
- We will be flexible, proportionate and use a mix of informal and formal opportunities for involvement
- We will consult and engage at appropriate times in decision-making
- We will provide the right information and time for meaningful input
- Our consultation and engagement will be easy to understand and take part in
- Our consultation and engagement will be meaningful, with findings used in decision-making and implementation
- Our consultation and engagement will be strategic and coordinated
The strategy sets out the ways we will make sure we hear from stakeholders when making or implementing a decision. We will select the best methods for different engagement and consultation to make sure the right people are heard from.
We run engagement and consultation on a wide range of issues and residents can find out about them by signing up to our Engage newsletter and by visiting Engage Wokingham Borough.
 Chances to have your say open now
During the pre-election period there are restrictions on council communications, which means we are not able to promote consultations in this newsletter in the usual way.
You can still take part in any of our current consultations, listed below:
 Specialist homes plan taken forward for town centre
Plans to bring more specialist affordable housing to Wokingham town centre will be taken forward.
Eleven housing units are set to be created at Seymour House, off Denmark Street, following agreement by our executive.
We’ll invest £3.5 million in the project to create safe, high-quality homes for stable and safe accommodation for residents.
Priority groups include care leavers, adults with learning, mental health and physical disabilities, as well as older people.
It will increase the number of homes we have for these residents provided at social rents, to support the needs of the people who will live there when the conversion is complete.
This will reduce reliance on out of borough placements, which are often higher cost.
Current tenants First Days Children’s Charity and Procom will be supported as far as possible to find suitable alternative accommodation.
 Tackling Poverty and making a difference
Our latest Tackling Poverty report shares many stories of hope made possible through the Household Support Fund.
These moments of change show how the right support at the right time can open doors, build confidence and help families look forward again.
One family, who approached our partners for school uniform support, left not only with affordable items but also with unexpected kindness.
Staff spotted that the mother was quietly struggling and discreetly offered a little extra help at no cost.
Another uplifting example came from a parent who accessed community coaching when life felt overwhelming. Through gentle guidance, they learned to recognise their strengths, set small achievable goals and find new ways of coping.
These stories show that support is not only about preventing crisis, it is about creating stability, dignity and a sense of hope.
 Signing up to tackle racism
We’ve officially signed the UNISON Anti-Racism Charter, strengthening our commitment to tackling racism in our organisation.
We’ve always been clear that racism has no place in our workplace or our borough.
Signing the charter builds on work already underway through our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy and helps go further.
Over the next year, we’ll strengthen our approach by reviewing recruitment and promotion processes, publishing workforce ethnicity and pay gap data, and providing training to help staff recognise and challenge racism.
This supports the borough's Communities Vision ambition to provide fair opportunities for everyone.
We’re committed to tackling discrimination and the inequalities it creates. Signing the charter is about turning that commitment into action.
 Creative health funding in place to support residents
We've been chosen as one of six areas in England to get special funding to improve people's health through creativity. The borough has been selected alongside Reading Borough Council and West Berkshire Council.
The National Centre for Creative Health has awarded two years of funding for a creative health lead, who will help develop activities such as arts, crafts, music, gardening and cooking to support residents’ wellbeing.
This work will help prevent ill health and support people living with long-term conditions. Local voluntary organisations are also backing the programme.
Arts4Wokingham says creative activities play a vital role in improving health, reducing isolation and supporting emotional wellbeing, and they welcome the chance to work in partnership as the new role develops.
The creative health lead will work across local teams, the NHS and the voluntary sector to help more people access creative ways to stay well and connected
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