Release Date 30 May 2012

The University of Reading is delighted to invite local residents to its next Community Open Event taking place on Monday 11 June at the London Road Campus.

Attendees will have the opportunity to explore the University's historic London Road campus which founded as the central Reading home of the University over 100 years ago. The campus has recently been refurbished to create a state-of-the-art home for the Institute of Education, one of the leading places to train teachers in the country.

There will also be the chance to hear from Sir David Bell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, who will share his thoughts about the University's role in the community and discuss the University's wider plans including current and future developments.

Sir David Bell said: "The University works closely with its neighbours and is proud of the role it plays in the local community. I have been living on the outskirts of Reading for a few short months but in that time I have felt the close sense of community that exists in the town. I very much look forward to welcoming people to our London Road Campus, now a first-class facility for our trainee teachers, and to hear their views as well as share the University's plans for the future."

The University of Reading's Institute of Education has very broad expertise in the field of education and trains over 1000 teachers a year, many of which go on to work in local schools.

Professor Andy Goodwyn, Head of the Institute of Education, said: "The London Road Campus was our original home until the Institute moved to Bulmershe to merge with the Bulmershe College of Higher Education in 1989. This year we have relocated back to London Road where our stunning new facilities provide trainees with the best possible learning environment, and contribute to our status as being among the UK's top ten teacher training providers."

The Community Open Event begins at 6.30pm. Admission is free but spaces are limited. To book a place, please contact email events@reading.ac.uk or tel. 0118 378 4313

ENDS

For all media enquiries please contact James Barr, press officer, on 0118 378 7115 or email j.w.barr@reading.ac.uk

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Notes for Editors

The University of Reading's Institute of Education is a major provider of teachers nationally and regionally, offering PGCE Secondary and Primary, BA (Ed) and the Graduate Teacher Programmes (GTP). The secondary programme and the primary programme have both received the top Ofsted grades in 2006/7 and the Institute is now a category 'A' provider for all our courses. The employment rates of our graduates are the highest in the University and the best in the country of any initial teacher training provider.

The University's London Road campus was founded in 1904 when Alfred Palmer presented six acres on the south side of London Road to what was then the University Extension College at Reading. By 1906, most of the College had relocated there and the campus also included the five houses known as ‘Acacias' and ‘Greenbank', on London Road itself. GW Palmer, Lady Wantage and the Suttons were among the first to make substantial donations to a fund for new buildings. The central scheme for the site was a series of low buildings linked by cloisters through beautiful gardens.  The foundations for the Great Hall were laid in 1905 while the wonderful library at Acacias was opened in 1923. In the period up to the end of WWII, the campus was home to the study of French, classics, history, crafts and fine arts, zoology, botany, physics and chemistry, geography, geology, agriculture and education.