After School Clubs, no intention to close, but to make them viable.

Reading Borough Council News Release

Parents Invited To Public Meetings on After School Clubs

Local parents are being invited to two public meetings later this month to give their views and help shape future after school club services for their children.

Reading Borough Council fully understands just how valuable a lifeline after school clubs are for working parents who have come to rely on the provision to allow them to earn whilst ensuring their children are well cared for.

However, at the present time after school clubs based at East Reading and Coley are losing money due to low take up levels among parents. This position is unsustainable for the Council and council tax payers in the difficult economic conditions.

The Council is therefore planning to embark on a significant push to raise awareness of existing after school clubs in the areas, with a view to increasing the number of parents taking advantage of the valuable services on offer.

As part of that push, as many parents as possible are being encouraged to attend two separate up-and-coming public meetings, so they can tell the Council what would work best for them in terms of after school club provision. As users and potential users of the after school club service, the Council is also very keen to hear from parents themselves about any ideas they may on the most effective way to get more parents to sign up to the clubs.

For parents who are attending the East Reading After School club - based at Newtown school - and other East Reading children who attend St Johns C of E Primary School a public meeting is scheduled on Monday January 23 at East Reading After School club (based in Newtown School) at 6pm.

And for parents whose children currently attend Coley After School Club - based at Coley Community Centre - as well as Coley Primary School and Southcote Primary schools, a public meeting will be held in the main school hall of St Mary’s and All Saints School on Monday January 30th, also from 6pm.

The public meeting – which is open to all, will include a presentation by Council officers on after school club provision, the opportunity for questions and thoughts from the public audience and will be chaired by John Ennis, Reading’s Lead Councillor for Education and Children’s Services.

Cllr Ennis said: “We have already said we are fully committed to the provision after school clubs, both in East Reading and Coley, but we need to find a way to make them more attractive to working parents who live in the area and whose children attend local schools. These public meetings are about engaging with local parents and getting their ideas on how to do this. In my experience some of the best ideas often come from parents and the schools themselves. We are in the process of inviting parents, via their schools, and I’d encourage as many people as possible to come along on the nights.”












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