June 2026 edition

Contents

Topic in focus - Literacy

Overview

Literacy is one of eight programmes of learning within the Functional Academics Area of Learning. It supports our vision of enriching the young people's lives by promoting health, happiness and tailoring each young person’s learning needs, supporting them in reaching their full potential. 

An important core subject area, Literacy threads through our seven Areas of Learning. It is taught across various locations and environments, onsite and offsite, for all our young people, during their Extended Day. This supports them to transfer and generalise their skills to many different situations in their daily lives. 

Each small step in a young person’s learning is recognised and built upon. This develops as each young person moves through the school. 

  • Lower School: Daily Literacy lessons are taught as well as small group and 1-1 sessions, with phonics being taught discreetly. 
  • Upper School Post 16 and beyond: Literacy is embedded in all Vocational programmes of learning.  

Aims 

For the young people to: 

  • enjoy and develop a love of reading
  • be able to understand more about the world in which they live through visual information
  • increase their vocabulary and phonetic awareness to support their communication and listening skills
  • develop gross and fine motor skills to support mark making and writing skills 

Starters, transitions and leavers - young people

Starters:

  • Darel has joined Bonsai class as a Day Student ahead of becoming a residential student.
  • Similarly, Chloe has joined Palm Class also as a Day Student ahead of becoming a residential student with us.
  • And Jack has moved into Bradbury Cottages in the Young Adult Provision.

A huge welcome to Darel, Chloe, Jack and their families to Prior's Court.

Leavers:

  • After seven years with us, Alexander moved on at the end of May. You can read more about Alexander's time with us below:

Starters, promotions and leavers - staff

Starters:

    • Emma Garcia-Sanchez - Team Manager, Dove Cottage

(we always mention new management level staff, therapists, teachers and staff members at a similar level to these)

Leavers:

    • After 23 years of service, Autism Practitioner Ann Pedley has left Prior's Court and retired. A celebration event for Ann was held on-site on June 10 to honour her incredible service to young people at Prior's Court.
    • As per the ParentMail message of June 12, Care Manager for Giles House Emily McEwan is leaving us at the end of August to explore a new opportunity in her career.

The end of the academic year is often a time of rotation of Education staff, so this is something we factor into our business planning. More details about Education staff departures will be communicated separately.

Parent Survey feedback

Thank you to those who took the time to fill out the 2025/26 Prior’s Court Parent Survey.

As ever, we provide parents with a response on the survey outcomes. However, the survey this year had so few responses that it is challenging to draw meaningful conclusions from the data gathered.

The response rate was low despite the survey being sent on ParentMail twice, two notifications within the Parent Newsletter, two posts to the parent Facebook group and having QR codes out at the music festival. The survey questions were also tweaked in response to feedback about the 2024/25 survey to ensure greater anonymity.

There were three particular areas where satisfaction rates dropped to an extent that they cannot be seen as statistically significant (re; number of response rates). These are:

  • % of respondents happy with the level of communication received about events and activities, and general information.
  • % of respondents who feel Prior Insight Parent Portal reports are informative

Remedying these two points will be considered within our 2026/27 business planning. We will also be analysing how we can work with you as parents to get more responses to the survey and therefore get more meaningful, informative data to inform our improvement plans.

Trips off-site in 2025/26

Data has been pulled together about the number of planned off-site community trips in 2025/26 covering the Terms 1 to 4 period, with key findings noted below:

  • A total of 1,529 planned community visits in this time, to 123 different locations (not including 245 off-site medical appointments to eight locations)
  • Post 16 off-site visits were identified as an area of development. This has increased in comparison to Lower School. There have been some improvements in increasing educational visits (School Day) in Post-16, but this will be an area of development for next academic year.  
    Young Adult Provision continues to provide the most community access in line with preparation for adulthood.
  • Below is a graph showing the number of different venue types visited

Chart 1, Chart element

Key - attractions are days out so theme parks, wildlife venues, etc; community are train stations, churches, libraries, barbers; event is an organised activity like Parkrun; leisure is cinema, trampoline parks, bowling and climbing; and walk is country parks and commons.

In the interests of transparency, this data is for planned community trips so does not account for trips that were planned but had to be cancelled.

On-site speed limit

A reminder: the speed limit from the entrance across the whole site is 10mph. This is for young people's safety.

Site investment

Since the start of the calendar year, our Estates team has delivered a significant number of projects focused on improving the site for young people and staff alike, and making it a place to be proud of. This has included:

  • Replacing the front gates with a more reliable, more responsive and faster operating alternative. In addition to installing ANPR for staff members at both the front gate and the Young Adult Provision entrance.
    The old gates, a favourite of Dame Stephanie Shirley, will be made use of elsewhere on-site - although these gates are very heavy so we want to make a decision on where to use them before we move them.
  • Completing the full refurbishment of Beechcroft House ahead of its reopening when staffing levels allow.
  • Major refurbishments to both the main-site laundry and the Young Adult Provision laundry, including new equipment. This is in addition to improving the systems processes around laundry.
  • Extensive redecoration and refurbishment in a number of homes, including a new kitchen and complete redecoration of Kite Flat in Bradbury Cottages; new flooring and a new bathroom in Bluebell Flat in Henley House; and new furniture, curtains and blinds in Shirley House.
  • Replacing our fleet of minibuses with brand new vehicles.
  • Refurbishing the Reception of Court House to create a welcoming, contemporary-feeling space for all site visitors (while Reception is back open, the refurbishment of the area is still to be concluded).

Between now and the end of August the team will also oversee refurbishing the young person toilets in the Main School Building and Jubilee Building, and the bathrooms in Shirley House. 

Graduation 2026

The Prior's Court class of 2026 will be formally graduating at a ceremony on Thursday, 23 July.  Families of those young people graduating will be contacted directly with an invite to attend.

Graduation is always a wonderful event where we can reflect on a young person's time at Prior's Court and all they have achieved.

Sports Day 2026

A reminder that Sports Day will be held on the last day of term, Friday, 31 July. Full arrangements for the day will be sent via ParentMail shortly.

Summer of Fun timetable

Our Summer of Fun 2026 programme is now finalised.

Events and activities include: musical theatre summer school, Reading Football Club activities, the return of the Land Train, dinosaur encounter, colour run, inflatables, games and more.

See the full calendar of events

End and start of term information

End of term - Friday, 31st July

On the last day of term after Sports Day, young people will be ready to go home from 14:15. Bags will be ready for collection in Reception, please notify key workers of any items you would specifically like.

Food arrangements for Sports Day will be issued via ParentMail closer to the time.

Bags will be ready for collection in Reception, please notify Team Managers/ Assistant Care Managers of any items you would specifically like. 

Extended provision (44-week term):

    • Extended provision weeks are from 1st August to 14th August. 

Returning to school for the start of term and the new academic year - Monday, 31 August

Times of arrival:

    • 10am -11am: Giles, Shirley, Millington. Summerhill, Henley house students
    • 11am - noon: Todhunter, Fleming, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring house students
    • Day pupil times as normal 

Please can all parents, carers or taxis returning children ensure that even if the main gates are open, you let Reception know of your arrival by communicating via the intercom at the gates before entering the site. This will enable us to make sure staff are aware and ready to meet you and your child.  Once on site, proceed to park in the Bradbury Hall or Seasons car parks. A staff member from the house will collect your child (and belongings) from your car.

Local hotel discount reminder

A reminder we have secured with the Orida Hotel Newbury – which is a two-minute drive from us on the M4/ A34 junction – 15% off room bookings for Prior's Court families.

Just use the discount code ‘PRIORS’ when booking online via its website or quote ‘PRIORS’ over the phone. Please note the code does not work through sites such as booking.com and will only work when booking directly with the hotel.

There will also be 10% off food at the hotel when you use this code.

This, and other information, can always be found in the Parent Information section of the website.

News on our website you may have missed

Children's Home holidays successes Our organsational response to the government's SEND reform proposals National Numeracy Day 2026 at Prior's Court

Events, term dates and more key information

Term dates Events this year Uniform information
Clothing labels Prior Insight Parent Portal Parent Handbook

Please remember to sign in and out at Reception on every visit to site.

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