Maidenhead & Windsor

The Maidenhead Royal Borough's youth service is tops – it's official!

The service has been rated highest in the country among unitary authorities for its work on curriculum – and as a result has been asked to contribute to a major new National Youth Service project.

The Maidenhead borough was among one of only seven youth services with a high score for its contribution to curriculum within its activities – and is now being asked by the Dfes and the National Youth Service to become involved in its project "Strengthening the Youth Work Curriculum and its contribution to the ECM outcomes".

This project involves:

· a document which describes and provides examples of effective curriculum practice

· a collection of useful resource material

· a resource to support practice in the field

· a briefing paper on curriculum in the context of ECM.

Nine members of the borough's youth services team – from head of service and curriculum lead to the newest part-time workers – were interviewed and a number of case studies submitted.

This is the second time the borough has been invited to contribute to National Youth Service publications – in 2006 the borough was one of only six local authorities asked to contribute on the development of the curriculum in its publication "Getting Better All the Time".

Clr Kathy Newbound, lead member for Maidenhead children's and young people's services, said: "This is great news for the Royal Borough's youth service. It is a real feather in our caps to have been invited for a second time to contribute to such high-profile national publications, and demonstrates the quality of the service we provide, particularly in respect of the curriculum.

"Everyone involved deserves our heartiest congratulations for all their hard work and commitment to the service we provide for our young people."

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead