Reading

The diocese is currently developing a major new strategy for ministry with children, young people and families, launched at our Diocesan Synod in March, 2024. Every parish and deanery has been invited to prepare plans by the end of 2024, and the strategy will be supported by a second bid for major national funding.

This priority is widely owned and recognised across every part of the diocese, and the Bishop of Reading will lead and encourage this initiative across the Reading Episcopal Area.

We are committed to promoting the welfare of the children, young people and vulnerable adults and protecting them from harm. As all leaders in the diocese, the Bishop of Reading will work in developing a culture where safeguarding is regarded as the responsibility of the whole church, and at the heart of our mission; they will exercise responsibility for promoting a safer Church in the Reading Area, ensuring pastoral care of survivors, and be coherent with the safeguarding policies and practice guidance of the Church of England whilst actively engaging in continuous learning in this area.

We envisage that the new Bishop of Reading will carry a similar portfolio to Bishop Olivia in terms of leading the work of the Diocese of Oxford on the environment and creation care and also our engagement with world mission, chairing the relevant committees and developing expertise in these areas.

The diocese has four key diocesan links: Kimberley and Kuruman in South Africa (part of the Anglican Province of Southern Africa), Nandyal in the Church of South India, Växjö, a diocese in the Lutheran Church of Sweden, and a new link with the Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, formed in 2024.

Together with their senior colleagues, the Bishop of Reading will contribute to strengthening and promotion of these links, investing in the relationships of friendship and prayer which help sustain them, whilst being prepared to travel to visit these links.

A number of mission agencies and their personnel have their UK headquarters in the diocese, including Church Mission Society, Bible Reading Fellowship, World Vision and Wycliffe Bible Translators. The Bishop of Oxford is co-chair of the Anglican Communion Science Commission, which has a small team in the University of Oxford.

The diocese has made significant steps forward in racial justice and encouraging UKME Anglicans in recent years, as well as in disability awareness. We have a recently appointed team of Bishop’s Advisers in Women’s Ministry.

The Area is balanced between rural and urban parishes, uniquely so compared to the diocese as a whole.

Each deanery has a distinct character in terms of population density, relative wealth, clergy numbers, ecclesiological mix, and missional context.

The relatively small number of deaneries enables efficient communication and sensibly-sized working groups. This, combined with a very good road network, enables a high-touch, responsive relationship between the Area Team and the deaneries/parishes.

Five of the six Berkshire unitary authorities are found within the Reading Episcopal Area: Windsor & Maidenhead, Bracknell Forest, Wokingham, Reading, and West Berkshire. This results in only one layer of government above the local town or parish councils. These councils deal with delivering the whole range of local government services from refuse collection to Social Services, and each has significant offices.

The River Thames acts as a major divide between Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. To the north of Newbury are the Berkshire Downs, which are part of a range of hills that to the east in Buckinghamshire become the Chilterns.

East Berkshire is in London’s shadow with access to the capital improved since Crossrail became operational as far as Reading.

West Berkshire is more rural, and the M4 corridor is the UK’s ‘Silicon Valley’, with companies such as Vodafone in Newbury, Oracle in Reading, Hewlett Packard and many other computer firms in Bracknell.

The University of Reading is well established and is a renowned centre for research in climate change.

The Oxford Diocesan Board of Education plays a significant role in education across the diocese. There are 27 church aided schools in the Area, with 29 voluntary controlled schools and 24 academies, including the new Equinox Multi-Academy Trust.

Additionally, there are many independent schools, several of which have regular confirmations. A team of school advisers works closely with headteachers, incumbents and in partnership with the local government to ensure that children and young people are given the opportunity to flourish.

For further information on our schools, please visit:

• Oxford Diocesan Board of Education (ODBE)
• Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust (ODST)

The Archdeaconry is well served by the NHS, with major hospitals in Reading’s Royal Berkshire Hospital, and other sites in Ascot, Windsor, Bracknell and Maidenhead.

West Berkshire Community Hospital in Thatcham has a minor injuries unit, rehabilitation and palliative care beds. Wokingham has a community hospital for rehabilitation and palliative care. There are palliative care and hospice services at the Duchess of Kent Hospital in Reading and the Thames Valley Hospice in Windsor. Prospect Park Hospital in West Reading is the main site for people in Berkshire with mental health conditions.

There are several private hospitals in the area, including a medium secure psychiatric unit at Thornford Park near Thatcham. Broadmoor High Security Psychiatric Hospital is located in Crowthorne, in Bracknell Forest, and houses about 240 male patients.

There is a garrison in Windsor from which troops set off to change the guard at Windsor Castle. Denison Barracks in Hermitage is home to the 73rd Military Intelligence Company, who are responsible for information gathering and intelligence analysis. The Royal Military Academy, where all officers in the British Army are trained, is at Sandhurst. RAF Welford, north of Newbury, is currently used as a munition’s depot by the United States Air Force.

In Aldermaston, between Reading and Newbury, is the Atomic Weapons Establishment. Although not as large as it once was, this is still a significant employer for the area.

Berkshire is one of the wealthiest counties in the British Isles. By and large, people have chosen to live here for many reasons, largely because of:

• employment opportunities in ‘Silicon Valley’;
• the proximity to London and road and rail links with the rest of the country;
• good independent and state schools;
• many of the villages are beautiful and unspoilt.

However, there is much need in Berkshire - data from the Berkshire Community Foundation Vital Signs survey shows significant areas of real social and economic deprivation, some of it ‘hidden’ amidst signs of apparent prosperity. Inequality is a key issue for Berkshire, with data on average incomes masking significant pockets of poverty and food insecurity. There are six neighbourhoods in Reading with child poverty rates of 40-50%, and three with pensioner poverty rates in excess of 50%.

As a result of national policies around immigration, Berkshire has become home to many thousands of newly arrived people from Hong Kong - Reading is in the top ten of local authorities accommodating Hong Kong communities. In addition, Berkshire has offered hospitality through the government's Homes for Ukraine scheme and seen the arrival of many Ukrainians seeking refuge across the county.

The use of hotels across Berkshire to temporarily house people seeking asylum has also led to a shift in the demographic of local communities, which have grown in diversity. House prices across Berkshire have increased by an average of 35% in the last ten years. A number of reports describe the impact on vulnerable groups living in sub-standard rented accommodation. Funding to civil society organisations has been significantly cut and many local groups have seen their funding reduced. Social isolation is a considerable and growing concern, affecting all age groups.

The population of Berkshire is growing rapidly, with new housing developments springing up on brown- and greenfield sites. These range from a few houses on the edge of a village to significant developments in Thatcham and Arborfield Green.

The nominated candidate will need to have the right to live and work in the United Kingdom. They will need to complete an Enhanced DBS check and a pre-appointment occupational health clearance.

Experience of your competence in managing safeguarding forms a key part of the discernment process, as well as enquiries to reassure the appointing panel that you are not a safeguarding risk.

You will be asked to complete a confidential declaration and your bishop will provide a Clergy Current Status Letter (CCSL), prior to interview, having examined your blue file. Your referees are also asked to comment on your approach to managing safeguarding.

In the event of safeguarding concerns being raised, the Archbishops’ Secretary for Appointments will liaise with your bishop, the appointing bishop and the National Safeguarding Team (NST) for advice and direction on how to proceed. If any issues raised cannot be resolved within the timescales for the appointment process, you may be asked to withdraw.

The nominated candidate will be required to attend safeguarding training, prior to consecration. There will also be a series of other induction meetings to help them begin the new role. In addition, there is training for bishops provided at national level.

If the nominated candidate is not already in episcopal orders, their consecration is likely to take place on 25 February 2025 or as soon as possible after that date.

The current stipend (as at June 2024) for Suffragan Bishops is £42,750 per annum. Housing and office space is outlined in appendix 2.