This year, we are focusing our work across four main themes:
Ready to Learn
As part of this theme we will:
- Continue to host the Opportunity Area (OA) Webinar Series.
- Support ‘Readiness to Learn’ for the most vulnerable children. We will have a strong focus on improving children’s wellbeing, engagement and enrichment opportunities through:
- A targeted programme of support for the most vulnerable settings and schools across the OA
- Providing an opportunity for cluster groups of schools to design and carry out their own bespoke/localised project (schools)
- Piloting a community project in Fenland with new parents focusing on being ‘Preschool Ready’ (Early Years)
- Work in partnership with the Teaching School Hub to support the development and roll out of teacher support.
- Increase opportunities to share best practice and be involved with research.
Following on from Year 5 Launch Event feedback, we are also looking into supporting:
- Curriculum development
- Teaching assistant training/networks
- Parental engagement
Early Years
As part of this theme we will:
- Embed Early Years training delivered in 2020–21 which has improved the knowledge and skills of the workforce, particularly around speech and language:
- Five to Thrive training – understanding the importance of attachment and connected relationships on wellbeing and building resilient communities
- REAL (Raising Early Achievement in Literacy) training
- Cambridgeshire Communication, Language and Literacy (CLL) Modular Pathway
- Business and Governance training
- Boost the uptake of Funded 2s places across Fenland and East Cambridgeshire.
Social, Emotional and Mental Health
As part of this theme we will:
- Continue to fund support from SENDIASS and Pinpoint.
- Provide further access to fully funded YMCA Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) training.
- Contribute to boosting the ‘Wellbeing for Education Return’ offer to support Mental Health Champions.
- Embed Steps.
Community Support
As part of this theme we will:
- Fund a Parent Power programme, a parental engagement project to support parents of high performing disadvantaged pupils.
- Continue to fund the Youth Advisory Boards.
- Continue to fund Detached Youth Worker Support.
- Support Food Education and Life Skills programmes.