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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.
 Update to SEND Service leadership roles
There have been some recent changes to leadership roles in the SEND Service.
Jamie Conran has moved from Head of SEND to Acting Service Director for SEND.
Jamie is the Senior Responsible Officer for Wokingham Borough’s Local Area SEND Reform Plan. This is a requirement for every area, and Jamie is leading work with children, young people and families, educational settings, health services and other partners to produce and deliver the SEND Reform Plan over the next three years.
Jamie is also leading on the Priority Action Plan following the Area SEND Inspection, to ensure the partnership works together to deliver on its commitments for rapid improvement to the priority areas for action highlighted by the inspection for children and young people in Wokingham Borough.
We will share updates on this work on the SEND Local Offer and through SEND Voices Wokingham.
Sam Philo is now Acting Head of SEND. Sam oversees the SEND Service and works across education, health and social care to improve outcomes and experiences for children and young people with SEND.
Julie Monahan is now Acting SEND Practice Manager. She leads the day-to-day work of the statutory SEND Team, making sure we meet our legal duties for children and young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan.
You can find out more about the teams and roles in the SEND Service on the SEND Local Offer page.
We will continue to bring updates on staffing developments (we are currently recruiting to vacancies) and other areas of improvement activity, including dedicated SEND Reform Plan and SEND Priority Action Plan sections in newsletters moving forward.
New videos: young people's stories
We've worked together with Say YES, Wokingham Borough’s SEND Youth Forum, to create new videos for the preparing for adulthood section of the SEND Local Offer.
In these videos, young people share their experiences of sixth form, college, travelling independently, volunteering and getting a job.
The idea came directly from young people, to help others think about their next steps after school.
 Meet farm animals at MERL's summer celebration
The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) in Reading is hosting a summer celebration geared towards neurodivergent visitors and their families.
There will be hands-on activities, games and farm animals. This event will be a relaxed session with additional sensory provision.
The garden will be closed to the rest of the public and will include a breakout space, visual tools, sensory backpacks and sensory gadgets.
- Thursday 6 August
- 10.30am to 12 noon
- £4 per child (adults and under twos go free)
 Share your views and enter SEND Voices prize draw
Parent carer forum SEND Voices Wokingham are running their annual survey to find out what is working well and what needs to improve.
The survey is open to all families in Wokingham Borough with a child or young person aged 0 to 25 with SEND. It closes on Friday 31 July.
Families who take part can choose to enter a prize draw to win one of five £20 Amazon vouchers.
 Resource bases opening in September 2026
From September 2026, resource bases will be opening at six mainstream schools:
- The Bulmershe School, Woodley
- Waingels College, Woodley
- Keep Hatch Primary, Wokingham
- Walter Infant School, Wokingham
- St Paul's Church of England Junior School, Wokingham
- Winnersh Primary School, Winnersh
Over the next few years, they will grow to provide a total of 104 places for children and young people with SEND.
You can find out more on the SEND Local Offer.
 Family sessions at Camp Mohawk
Camp Mohawk is an outdoor and indoor play 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.
Activities include a swimming pool, archery and adventure play. Families have to register with Camp Mohawk first and sessions need to be booked in advance.
 Free course on moving to secondary school
Togetherness is an online learning platform for families who live in Wokingham Borough. It offers free NHS‑informed courses.
There is a course to help families support children with additional needs as they move up to secondary school.
The course covers:
- How to support your child’s emotional wellbeing
- Practical tips to help you communicate
- Ways to better understand your child’s needs during this change
Use the access code: bwfamilies
 Summer reading challenge is back
The Summer Reading Challenge is back this year with the theme: Read to the Beat!
This year’s challenge encourages children to explore how stories and music can spark imagination and creativity.
Children can sign up at their local Wokingham Borough library. The aim is to read six books over the summer.
Children can choose what they read, including:
- Library books
- e-Books
- Audiobooks
As they read, they will collect stickers and rewards to celebrate their progress.
 Free text-based therapy for young people
Tellmi is a mental health app for young people aged 11 to 17 who live or go to school in Wokingham Borough.
It offers a text-based therapy service, where young people can message a qualified therapist and access support through the app.
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