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As we start looking ahead to a new school year, we have ideas to help you plan for the new term ahead and to get out and about in the last weeks of summer:
- Adaptive and low-cost school uniform
- Tips for getting ready for school and 'Ready for School' storytime at your local library
- ABC to read support and advice
- Courses, drop-ins and one-to-one support for parents and carers
- Preparing for adulthood
- Bright Sparks and Wiggly Worms summer sessions
- Free bus travel for children
Did you miss our Summer Newsletters? They have many more ideas for accessible activities and can be found here.
 Inclusive school uniform
First Days low-cost uniform shop
Wokingham children's charity First Days have a low-cost second hand school uniform shop, open to all.
Located at 3 The Courtyard, Wokingham, (next to Denmark Street Car Park), this is open from 9.30am to 4pm on Tuesday and Wednesdays and from 9.30am to 6pm on Thursdays.
Adaptive and sensory friendly uniform
High street retailers and supermarkets are continuing to build their adaptive clothing ranges, and several offer uniforms that include features such as sensory friendly materials and seams, easy closures and feeding tube spaces. Ranges include:
- Easy dressing and adaptive school uniform at Matalan
- Easy on, easy wear sensory school uniform from George at ASDA
- Adaptive clothing for children from M&S
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Adaptive Clothing UK's school uniform sensory range, including seam-free socks
Searching online for 'adaptive children's clothing' or 'easy on easy wear sensory school uniform' will lead you to more options.
 Getting ready for school
Many services and charities have tailored advice on starting, going back to and changing schools:
Ready for school storytime
Starting school in September? Come along and make some friends and share some stories at a ready for school storytime at your local library.
No need to book - just drop in. All sessions run from 10am to 11am.
- Lower Earley Library - 24 August
- Woodley Library - 25 August
- Wokingham Library - 26 August
 Supporting with reading
Berkshire-based children’s reading charity ABC to read currently supports more than 500 children who struggle with reading each week, in over 100 schools through trained volunteer one-to-one reading mentors.
Mentors work with children twice a week to help build their confidence, enjoyment of reading and literacy skills. ABC to read partners with schools in supporting children with additional needs and volunteers are given guidance and support to help them support children with ADHD, autism, dyslexia and anxiety.
They would be delighted to hear from any schools and SENCos who feel this could benefit their pupils via email.
For parents who want to support reading at home they have a Top Tips for Successful Reading video you can watch.
The charity shared with us some simple strategies for supporting children with additional needs on their reading journey, both at home or in school:
- Celebrate effort not just success
- Create a less distracting reading area
- Split the reading into shorter sessions
- Find a subject that already interests the reader
For those who may struggle to understand how a character is feeling, or sequence a story:
- Look at the illustrations and talk about them together
- Ask open ended questions and help them work out what the answers might be
- Read to them and annotate what is happening
Courses for parents and carers
There are lots of opportunities this coming term to support those parenting and caring for children and young people with additional needs:
Following consultation with their parent focus group, they will also be increasing their offer of one-to-one appointments, which offer tailored advice and guidance based on each families’ specific circumstances and needs.
If you would like to book an appointment, whether it is in-person at their Woodley centre, online via Teams, or by telephone, please email the team.
SEND Voices have a range of upcoming Parent's Guide SENDIASS Training Courses focusing on SEND Support in School, Preparing for Adulthood and EHCP. More details can be found on their events page.
Their fortnightly coffee morning with alongside SENDIASS drop-in will restart this Autumn in a new, temporary home at the FBC Centre (while there is building work at Wokingham Youth Centre). All sessions are from 12 noon to 2pm and upcoming dates include 8 and 22 September, as well as 6 and 20 October.
Autism Berkshire have upcoming online courses on:
- Understanding More About Autism
- Sensory Differences
- Autism & Mainstream Schools
Parenting Special Children's upcoming online evening courses include their three week ADHD course, a sleep workshop, and ‘Who’s in Charge’ – an eight week course for parents and carers of children and young people with special needs who are violent or aggressive. Visit their events page for details and information about their support groups.
 Preparing for Adulthood
Visit the council's preparing for adulthood webpages to discover help for young people aged 14 to 25 with special educational needs and disabilities to plan for the future.
The pages include sections on education, work, training and volunteering options, independent travel, housing and more.
You can also watch a new five-minute video to hear young people in the borough talk about sixth form, college, travelling independently, volunteering and getting a job.
Made with Say YES, Wokingham Borough’s SEND Youth Forum, the idea for the video came directly from young people, to help others think about their next steps after school.
Watch the video to hear from young people about their experiences.
 Bright Sparks and Wiggly Worms
Bright Sparks group for Neurodivergent children (aged five to 11) and their parents/carers have two more sessions coming up this August.
Have fun, make friends and build confidence at this drop-in group.
Every Wednesday in August, from 1.30 to 3.30pm, at Brambles Family Hub.
Wiggly Worms drop-in group for children aged under five who have been:
- Diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum
- Referred to the paediatrician for a diagnosis
- Have been identified by a professional as needing an assessment
Wiggly Worms continues to run at Brambles Family Hub during the Summer holidays and beyond, every Thursday, from 9.30am to 11am.
 Free bus travel for children for low cost days out
Throughout August, anyone aged five to 15 can take a single bus journey for free from any stop in Wokingham Borough.
This offer applies to local journeys even where they finish outside the borough, as long as they start within it.
There's already free local bus travel for those under five and accompanied by an adult and single adult journeys are currently capped at £3.
You can check if a child or young person qualifies for a disability bus pass.
Date for your Diary - Local Offer Live
Local Offer Live 2026 is a free family information and fun day.
It is a free event for families in Wokingham Borough who have a child or young person aged under 25 with SEND, hosted by SEND Voices Wokingham.
Come along to find out more about local support, services, and activities. There will be information stands where parents and carers can speak directly with local organisations, including Wokingham Borough Council and health services, children's activities and refreshments.
Nicola from the CAN Network will be there and is looking forward to meeting you all.
Local Offer Live is being held at St Crispin's School Sport Hub on Saturday 10 October from 10.30am to 12.30pm or 1pm to 3pm.
Useful contacts
ASSIST (Autism Spectrum Service for Information Support and Training) is a family support service from Wokingham Borough Council, for those in the borough with a child or young person under 18 with an autism diagnosis or waiting for an assessment. Help with information, advice, guidance and signposting.
ASD Family Help - open to all autistic individuals or those with associated conditions. No diagnosis required. Regular parent and carer drop-in sessions. Fun activities for children and teenagers, social groups for adults and outings for the whole family. Practical help and advice.
Autism Berkshire - provide specialist services, training and social and leisure activities throughout Berkshire guided by a team of trustees and staff with personal and professional experience of autism. Providing information and advice through a helpline, events, workshops and newsletters; and running accessible social and leisure activities for children, adults and families.
FIRST - The Family Intervention Resources and Support Team (FIRST) provides information, workshops and courses around sleep and distressed behaviour.
National Deaf Children's Society are sharing tips and advice for school holidays and activities. You can also book a free, friendly appointment for advice and support from Berkshire's local Community Connector, Rania Sammour, here.
Parenting Special Children - set up to help other parents/carers navigate the world of SEND. Empowering families whose children/young people are neurodivergent and/or have special needs and/or disabilities including early life trauma.
Promise Inclusion - a local charity that supports people with learning disabilities and their carers. Weekly, term-time Youth Club for young people aged 13 to 19 with learning disabilities and/or autism. Activity clubs for siblings aged 8-13 years old. Family liaison team offering emotional and practical support to carers; from support in meetings, to advice and information on benefits, form filling, housing, supported living, transition, education, mental capacity, power of attorney, deputyship and more. Monthly carers coffee/lunches, carers respite trips and information events.
SEND Voices Wokingham - an independent parent carer forum. Set up to ensure that families and carers of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and disabilities in the Wokingham Borough, can have a voice and participate fully in the development of services.
Wokingham Carers Partnership - A partnership of three commissioned local charities: Age UK Berkshire, Berkshire Youth and Promise Inclusion. Offering information, advice, and support to people throughout the borough who are caring for a child or adult family member, partner or friend.
Wokingham SENDIASS - free, confidential, impartial information, advice and support relating to all aspects of SEN and disabilities, including health, social care and personal budgets.
What is the CAN Network?
The CAN (Children with Additional Needs) Network provides an information and support service for families and carers of children and young people (aged up to 25) with additional needs and disabilities.
The CAN Network also maintains Wokingham Borough Council’s Children with Disabilities Register and CAN Card.
The Children with Disabilities Register is a voluntary, confidential list of information about children with diagnosed disabilities in Wokingham Borough.
The information shared with us is used anonymously to help plan and improve future services to meet the needs of local disabled children and young people.
Those eligible to join the Children with Disabilities Register can receive a free CAN card.
The CAN card is a photo ID card which can be used as proof of diagnosed disability. It's accepted by many local attractions as proof for concessions or free carer tickets.
Find out more about signing up to the register and receiving a CAN card here.
Get in touch
For support using our online application or for any other enquiries please email.
Disclaimer
By sharing information with you the CAN information network is not providing a recommendation or endorsement of a service/organisation.
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