Priorities and Plans for Education and Children's Services

The Council’s Directorate of Education and Children’s Services provides support to improve the education, health and welfare of all children young people and families in Reading. This area of our website contains a wealth of information about Education and Learning and is subdivided into the categories on the left-hand side of this page.

We work closely with other partners through the Children and Young People’s Trust. Our Children and Young People Plan covers services for all those in Reading aged 0 to 19, young people aged 20 and over leaving care and young people up to the age of 25 with learning difficulties. It is developed by the Children’s Trust Board, which represents all the organisations that are responsible for service delivery to children and young people in Reading and also includes young people. Following extensive consultation with children, young people, parents, staff and the voluntary sector we have agreed new priorities for 2011-12. Our intention was to set a clear direction for the Trust for the next three years, but also to be sure that the priorities were achievable given the resource constraints on all partners. The three thematic areas and seven priorities we have chosen are:

Keeping Children Safe

  • Protect and look after children and young people that need our care Our Priorities
  • Reduce domestic abuse and substance misuse and support families with these issues

Intervening Early

  • Work with families in greatest need as early as possible to build emotional well-being and improved health
  • Help young people to have high aspirations and be healthy, active citizens, making positive life choices

Learning and Ambition

  • Make sure every child and young person has a fair chance of achieving, whatever their ethnicity, disability or family income
  • Help young people improve their employment prospects
  • Help families from poverty realise their ambitions for their children and themselves

More information can be found on the Children's Trust Website (which can be reached via the link in the Related Information box on the right of this page).

Please see the pages at the bottom of this page for results of our recent inspections and access to key documents for our services such as our Directorate Service Plan.