Garland Junior School
Community primary school in Reading (West Berkshire).
Location
iSchool location from Get Information about Schools. Nearby schools are coloured by phase. Open Map+ for a full-screen map with neighbourhood deprivation (England only).About
Mrs Bland's Infant School, established in 1872, was named in memory of the late wife of Horatio Bland, a wealthy merchant and trader. The school was built on land given by Horatio Bland and was named in honour of his late wife, Emily Cherry, who was the oldest daughter of the Rector of Burghfield. She died whilst on an expedition to the Holy Land.
In 1874 he built a new museum next to the school for his growing collection of artefacts collected from his global travels. After his death the artefacts were transferred to Reading Museum by his nephew Thomas Garland, and the Burghfield museum became a Parish Room. The school was later replaced by a new Junior School in 1966 which took the name Garland School.
The original school building was marked on the Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1970 and is now replaced by a later 20 th Century Infant School.
In the school’s own words, from the school website.
Enrichment
3 activitiesiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Forest School
- Restorative Practice
- Times Tables Rock Stars
Awards
1 awardiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Eco SchoolsEnvironment
Key facts
- URN
- 109858
- Type
- Community school
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 7 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Sixth form
- Does not have a sixth form
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Local authority
- West Berkshire
- Constituency
- Reading West and Mid Berkshire
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
Governing body (12 current, 1 former)
Maintained school governing body.
Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs Vicky Collins | Chair of Governors | Appointed by GB/board | since 2025 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
Full governing body
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Michael Palmer | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Mrs Fay Thompson | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mrs Vanessa Pirga | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mrs Marion Buchan | Governance Professional - FederationGovernance professional | since 2025 | |
| Miss Dani Harrison | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mr Angad Soares-Mistry | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Sarah Williams | Governor | Elected by school staff | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Catherine Rose | Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Sarah Wilkins | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Rebecca Evans | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mr Kevin Mortimer | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mr Gwyn Edwards Former | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2025 · term ended 2026 |
Source: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (governance records, as at 25 October 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Names are shown as published; there are no addresses or contact details. Current and former are worked out from term end dates when the page loads. Object or ask for removal · Report an issue with this record