Cambridge Education Initiative
A group of Cambridge Fellows is developing an initiative to improve educational outcomes for young people in the City’s deprived areas.
Although, overall, Cambridge is one of the UK’s – and the world’s – most successful cities, it has pockets of deprivation and the educational performance of some of its schools is below the national average. Children who are eligible for free school meals and who have special needs or other challenges, including looked after children and young carers, are at the highest risk of underachieving.
We have been talking to Council officers and plan to meet Headteachers in the autumn term. The emerging features of our initiative are
- A place in Cambridge where deprivation is accompanied by underachievement. Arbury meets these criteria.
- A group of RSA fellows prepared to commit time to a targeted intervention to raise achievement, working with the local community and voluntary organisations
- Alignment with Council priorities
- Developed by listening to head teachers, young people, the local community/ voluntary organisations
- Time limited
- Replicable
We would welcome contributions from other Fellows.
If you live in the Cambridge area, you are very welcome to join our group. Or if elsewhere, please share your ideas and experience.
Contact Sam Weller: samandmary_weller@hotmail.com; or Jo Durning: jodurning@btinternet.com
