THE closure of Reading Bridge is “playing roulette with children’s futures” as traffic delays could see them miss GCSE and A-level exams.

Parents are concerned that the closure on May 18 will be an extra stress for their children and could even make them miss an exam.

Tim Beechey-Newman from Gravel Hill, whose 15-year-old daughter will be sitting her GCSEs, has decided to book a hotel for the week in the town centre to avoid the journey.

He said: “Many Year 11 boys and girls attending Kendrick, Reading Boys, The Abbey and St Joseph’s come from north of the river, and the last thing they need is major uncertainty regarding how long it will take them to get to school for 9am exams.”

Normally it takes the family 40 minutes to drive into the town centre, however this journey time could be doubled, depending on the traffic build-up caused by the bridge closure.

Mr Beechey-Newman said: “To walk to school it would take my daughter an hour and, although I’m sure she is capable of walking that distance, she isn’t used to it and to introduce that into her morning routine right before she is about to sit an exam really isn’t feasible.”

The closure of the bridge from May 18 will affect many exams across the week, including: GCSE geography, AS level physics, AS level maths, AS level French, GCSE Greek, and AS level chemistry.

Reading East MP Rob Wilson said: “At a stressful time for parents and students alike, the last thing they need is the extra headache of a bridge closure and the resulting traffic delays.

“Parents are worried that this will lead to students having to get up earlier than usual and that tiredness and stress could have a negative impact on exam performance.”

Councillor Ed Hopper voiced these concerns at the Traffic Management Sub-Committee meeting in March.

He said: “I echo the concerns raised by residents of Thames ward and raised by residents from across the town with Rob Wilson that the two-week closure of Reading bridge during GCSE and A level exams risks significantly impacting upon students at this most vital point of their academic careers.”

Cllr Hopper called on lead councillor for strategic environment, planning and transport Tony Page to re-think the timescale.

He said: “If he cannot do this then he is playing roulette with children’s futures.”

Cllr Page said: “The only reason that the closure is going ahead when it is, is that we were under the cosh to spend the Government money before March 31.

“Because there was a finite amount of time – required by the Government of which Mr Wilson is a member. We had to get on with the work.”

The full closure begins on Monday, May 18, for two weeks, but the second week coincides with half term.