Heart of the Community: a study of The Reach Foundation’s Cradle-to-Career Partnership
Cradle-to-career (C2C) models aim to support children from birth to early adulthood through the coordination of immediate community support and attempts to catalyse longer-term structural change in their communities.
They aim to create better life chances for all children, and in particular those from under-resourced backgrounds whom current systems too often fail. School-centred C2C models do so using the school as a focal point through which to convene and offer this extra support.
Heart of the Community found a network of like-minded schools and trusts pioneering novel approaches for working in a joined-up way with their local communities
– from setting up or supporting community hubs, to signposting families to local support, to convening community leaders and organisations. While every model was different depending on its context, they had two vital features in common: the head teacher’s (or C2C leader’s) role as community connector and a prioritisation of long-term, deeper relationships.
The report sets out eight steps to attempting this kind of work
This includes having the right staff on board and leaders developing a civic mindset. It also details 15 practices common across the network, such as conducting community listening and asset mapping exercises. We highlight many of these practices in our Equity Scorecard tool. Four case studies provide a more in-depth look at specific schools’ and trusts’ models, identifying challenges and considering impact measurement and sustainability.
To learn more about The Reach Foundation’s C2C Partnership or to sign up: Cradle-to-Career Partnership
Schoolsweek article: How to deliver a cradle-to-career service in every community
This work would not have been possible without the generous support of the Reach Foundation and Rank Foundation.
