Our Partnership with Thames Valley Police

At The Bulmershe School, we believe that education extends beyond the classroom. We are committed to providing a safe, supportive and inclusive environment where our students can grow into confident and well-informed members of the local community. To support this mission, we are delighted to share more details about our involvement in the Safer Schools Partnership.

What is the Safer Schools Partnership?

The Safer Schools Partnership is a collaborative initiative between schools and Thames Valley Police. Its primary goal is to foster positive relationships between young people and the police service. Rather than being a response to specific issues, the partnership is a proactive, long-term commitment to community-based policing.

By having a dedicated Schools Officer on site, we aim to:

• Normalise the uniform: Helping students feel comfortable and confident in the presence of police officers.
• Build trust: Creating opportunities for informal, positive interactions outside of an emergency context.
• Provide education: Offering expert insights into personal safety, the law and how the justice system works.
• Encourage dialogue: Providing a safe space for students to ask questions and seek advice.

Welcoming PC Will Manuel

As part of this borough-wide programme, we are pleased to welcome PC Will Manuel as our dedicated Schools Officer. Will is an experienced officer who will be a regular, friendly face at Bulmershe, joining us during breaks and lunchtimes to engage with our students.

PC Manuel’s presence is a positive choice by the school to invest in our students' social education and safety awareness. There are no safety concerns prompting this role; it is entirely focused on early intervention and relationship building.

A Message from PC Manuel:

"My name is Will, and I have recently been appointed as the Schools Officer for Wokingham Borough. I have worked for Thames Valley Police for over five years across a range of policing roles, including Neighbourhood Policing, investigative departments and Response. In my current role, I support approximately twenty secondary and educational settings across the borough.

My role is to act as a consistent and direct point of contact for each school, offering advice, support and assistance with educational inputs where appropriate. A key focus of my work within secondary schools is maintaining a visible, approachable presence, including engaging with students informally during breaks and lunchtimes, as well as through planned sessions.

Across Wokingham, we are continuing to strengthen our partnership with secondary schools to ensure that students know who their local Schools Officer is and understand how and when they can seek support or advice. An important aspect of this role is helping young people to feel confident and comfortable speaking with police officers, particularly in uniform, and to reinforce that officers are approachable, supportive and there to help.

Throughout the school year, I will attend schools regularly to speak with students both formally and informally. This includes contributing to assemblies, lessons or workshops on topics such as how police investigations work, personal safety, and crime awareness, alongside day‑to‑day engagement with students within the school environment.

I appreciate that an increased police presence can sometimes cause concern or lead to assumptions about risk. I would like to reassure parents that there are no safety concerns prompting this role. The Schools Officer programme forms part of a broader commitment to preventative, community‑based policing, focusing on early intervention, education and positive engagement with young people.

I hope if your children haven't already, they will discuss openly about an officer coming into school and I trust they will have had a positive interaction with myself."