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Social Mobility

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Social Mobility

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What is Social Mobility?

Social Mobility is about ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to build a good life for themselves regardless of their family background.

There is a very strong relationship between high levels of income inequality and low levels of social mobility. Children of highly paid individuals are more likely to be highly paid and children of low paid individuals are more likely to be low earners.

View more information on the Equality Trust website

Why Wychavon

In 2017 the Social Mobility Commission’s State of the Nation Report ranked the Wychavon area as 15th worst nationally for social mobility overall. 

Read State of the Nation Report on the Government website

The data showed that we have:

  • a low number of children who are eligible for free school meals achieving good levels of development at Early Years.
  • a low number of young people achieving the expected standard at Key stage 2.

we also found that we have:

  • High numbers not taking up the two year old (pre school education) offer in some areas.
  • Increases in elective home education for students who are deemed vulnerable learners.

We’re committed to tackling social mobility issues. We’re investing £250,000 and we’ve also received a contribution of £268,000 from Public Health towards Social Mobility in Wychavon.

Speech and Language 

A Speech and Language deficit can have an impact on children growing to their potential and achieving good levels of development in early years.

As a result, we’ve worked with the speech and language service to add more access to their services in schools in Wychavon. This in addition to a communication champion programme aimed at Early Years providers and settings to ensure staff are equipped with the knowledge to improve children’s word levels, speech sounds and phonics first aid and more.

If you're worried about your child’s speech and language Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust can provide more information. View Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust website

We’ve introduced new grant schemes for schools and settings to help make a difference to pupils. These are available annually and typically between £500 and £2000. The grants allow schools and settings to deliver opportunities to improve outcomes for Free Schools Meal eligible children and/or their families.

Some of the recent social mobility grants have funded sensory gardens and outside learning spaces, summer school for children who are from a Gypsy, Roma, Traveller heritage, Clicker 8 programme to help with writing, Dance classes for young people and Aspiration and achievement programmes.

We also found that many children were coming to school hungry. Therefore, we started a Breakfast club grant that provided funds for food and drinks for breakfast and wrap around care, and snack in the school day (for children who are FSM eligible)

Got an idea?

If you have an idea that could support children who are eligible for Free School Meals and improve their life outcomes please get in touch with Leonie for an informal discussion.

Leonie Silk 01386 565569 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Breakfast Club Grant

Breakfast club grant is back, and it could be available to your school or setting.

If you haven’t applied before, please do, from feedback we have received, it really is needed more so now, than before, and has positive impacts for all pupils included in this.   

This is up to the value of £2000 per term, for 3 terms.

You will only need to apply once and review numbers at the end of each term to ensure correct payment for the next term. With an outcome impact report at the end of the last term (please ensure you add requested amount with a breakdown of costings).

This fund is available to fund food and drink cost only.

  • Breakfast clubs (open to all)
  • Wrap around care food (open to all)
  • Provision of a snack in school time for free school meal eligible children only, and a 10% discretionary/snack reserve up to £100 but not exceeding 25% of pupils on role. (With an opportunity to discuss any higher amounts on a case by case basis).

If this is of interest to you, please complete the application form which will be open until the 10th January 2023

 Breakfast Club Grant Application

If you have previously been successful with this grant, and not completed your outcome report, funding will not be released until you have returned it.

Social Mobility Grant Scheme - opening May

We have set aside £30,000 for a new Social Mobility Grant scheme to provide support and improve outcomes for eligible children and / or their families. We’re inviting schools and voluntary organisations to apply for small grants to help close the gap between the most disadvantaged children and young people and their peers.

Individual grant awards will normally be between £250 and £1500. Grants can be for small capital projects or revenue schemes and must be made via an online application (see below). Applicants will be expected to demonstrate the impact of the grant award as part of this process.

Successful applicants must ensure that, whilst the grant money is targeted primarily at eligible children, their projects do not stigmatise or isolate individuals or groups of children or young people

Apply for the Social Mobility Grant Scheme

Who can apply?

  • Early years’ settings (children’s centres, nurseries, pre-schools etc)
  • Schools (academies, local authority maintained or independent)
  • Voluntary and community sector organisations including charities and CICs (parent support groups, youth groups, mother and toddler groups etc)

How to submit a bid

The grant scheme will open in May, with decisions being made in July and a start date for September. Applications will be reviewed quarterly until the fund have been allocated.

Applications must be made using our online form and will be expected to demonstrate:

  • The numbers of children and young people from the eligible groups the project will support
  • The total cost and duration of the project
  • The impact that the project will have on its beneficiaries.

What we will and won’t fund

Successful projects should make a genuine difference to the outcomes for children and young people and may include:

  • Positive activities for eligible children and young people both during school time and out of normal school hours.
  • Provision or extension of wraparound care services, such as breakfast or homework clubs before and/or after school.
  • Targeted interventions by schools and early years’ settings aimed at reducing any gaps in attainment.  This may include the piloting of schemes to raise attainment in core subject areas.
  • Interventions to improve pupil confidence, self esteem or mental wellbeing amongst eligible children and young people.
  • Projects that raise school attendance rates.

We will not usually fund

  • Projects that do not directly improve outcomes for eligible children in Wychavon.
  • Projects that have already been completed or largely completed before we receive an application.
  • Any expenditure incurred or committed before we approve an award.
  • Day to day running costs, replacement equipment, repairs, maintenance or the costs of meeting health and safety requirements.
  • One off events.
  • Fundraising activities.
  • Work that is the responsibility of other public bodies or organisations.

Want to discuss your idea?

For an informal discussion about your project please call Leonie Silk on 01386 565569 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Directory

Apply for free school meals

Is your child ready for school? | Worcestershire County Council

How to apply – Get help to buy food and milk (Healthy Start)

Free childcare for 2 year olds | Worcestershire County Council

Children's Speech and Language Therapy Service information

Starting Well Worcestershire

SENDIASS Worcestershire and Herefordshire

Change4Life

Free childcare for 3 and 4 year olds | Worcestershire County Council

Universal Credit - Worcester City Council

Children's mental health - Every Mind Matters

Social Mobility Commission

Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework

Events 

Wychavon Speech and Language Outreach Project

Please find below important Autumn dates for your diary. All of our training sessions this term will be delivered virtually via zoom.

Introduction to SLCN

Thursday 14 October 4-6pm

Who should attend: Any staff member supporting children in EY’s or KS1 in project settings. 

Communication Champion Training – Visual support and universal strategies within children environment.

Choose from either:

Tuesday 16 November 4-6pm

Thursday 18 November 4-6pm

Who should attend: Any EY staff member in any Wychavon Preschool or Nursery setting. 

How to book

Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to book places on any of the below training sessions.

Wychavon off to a flying start

This event is now sold out. 

Off to a Flying Start Communication Matters Resources

Wychavon 50th anniversary logo