The headteacher renowned for turning failing schools around has been honoured in the New Year Honours .

Kate Detheridge is currently the headteacher at Churchend Primary School has received the honour of being a Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her services to education.

Mrs Detheridge, of Hampstead Norreys, West Berkshire was honoured for her work turning six schools identified as "being vulnerable".

She is now also supporting a school in special measures as executive headr while her own school has achieved 100% progression scores in reading and writing and 92% in mathematics. She is also an active member of Ofsted’s Headteachers’ Reference Group and has been an Additional

Inspector for 12 years. She is leading the drive to cut red tape as Vice-Chair of the Department of Education Bureaucracy Reference Group and runs a teaching school and a national support school. She is a member of the Regional Schools Commissioners Headteachers’ Board. She is chair of the panel which is writing new standards for Teaching Assistants.

Professor Russell Foster from Reading received an OBE for his services to science. he is a Professor of Circadian Neurosciences at the

University of Oxford.

Professor Ian Mills of the University of Reading also receives an OBE for his services to Chemistry and Metrology. The Reading man is a Emeritus Professor of Chemical Spectroscopy

John Jenkins, the President and Chair, SportsAble, receives a MBE for his serivces to Disability Sport. He has delivered an incredible 38 years of volunteering at the club and is a unique character and has already won a Berkshire lifetime achievement award.

In 1981, SportsAble still didn’t have a base so he pushed himself 156 miles in his wheelchair from Bristol to London in seven days and raised £85,000 to start building work.