As promised we are continuing to share how the alliance is mobilising to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. However, bulletins will now be released weekly. If you want to look back on previous bulletins, you can do so here.
We have a few updates and asks for your input in this bulletin, so please keep reading!
Update: The Fair Education Alliance's Response to the Education Select Committee's call for evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on Education and Children's services
A couple of weeks ago we held a roundtable on the Education Select Committee's call for evidence on the Impact of COVID-19 on Education and Children's services. From this we have synthesised the conversations that were had and have created a first draft here.
At this point we would like to re-share what we have written with the alliance for feedback and further input. To add your comments/ feedback and thoughts, please fill out this form by noon on Monday (25th May). Any responses received after this time will not be incorporated into the response as the deadline for submission is Sunday 29th May.
Skills Builder Universal Framework - Live TODAY!
As you may know, one of the key priorities of the FEA is to support a common language and shared approach around essential skills, as an education that supports the whole child.
We are pleased to be backing the launch of the Skills Builder Universal Framework. The Universal Framework takes everything that was great about the Skills Builder approach and has been adapted so it can work with children and young people in non-school settings, and with adults too. It’s been developed with input from many FEA members, as well as partners like the CBI, the CIPD, Careers & Enterprise Company, Business in the Community and the Gatsby Foundation.
Through a concentrated social media campaign between 20 May – 5 June we are calling on employers, educators and other organisations to use the Skills Builder Universal Framework to describe, recognise and develop the essential skills of young people, jobseekers and employees.
We would be delighted if FEA members joined the conversation, sharing our messages and promoting the eight essential skills in the framework as the #skillsweneed to support social mobility and help drive the UK’s economic recovery from COVID-19.
As always, if you want to include anything in an upcoming bulletin, please don't hesitate to get in touch here.
How the alliance and beyond is navigating COVID-19
Throughout these unprecedented times, people and organisations are pulling together to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the most disadvantaged young people.
In light of mental health awareness week we have focused particular attention to the mental health and wellbeing of young people in this bulletin. Below are just some examples of how organisations are responding to mental health awareness week, sharing how we can continue to support these young people now and after COVID-19.
👉 Sarah Waite from Get Further shines a light on year 11 pupils. Now that GCSEs have been cancelled, too many Year 11 pupils are being ignored despite needing more support than ever going forwards. Read more here.
👉 The NUS is supporting the team leading the UK’s COVID-19 central mental health research study, which provides weekly data direct to the UK government, and the NHS. This data is used to inform decisions made by government in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Find out more here.
👉 The Prince's Trust released a report yesterday on young people's anxiety and fears for future employment prospects. Worryingly, more than 1/4 young people have said that their future prospects have already been damaged by COVID-19. Read more here.
👉 Place2Be launch their "kindness cup" to mark mental health awareness week. Read more here.
👉 Mind have put together a support pack of Information for young people who are worried about COVID-19 and want to know how to cope with changes to their lives. Read more here.
👉 New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) have also been thinking about the wellbeing of the charity sector. Yesterday they released their State of the Sector report 2020. Their comprehensive survey of the opinions of charity leaders delves deeper into questions about long-term resilience in the charity sector, particularly post COVID-19. Read more here.
News
The Sutton Trust Launch their report on their top takeaways for online delivery
👉 In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, The Sutton Trust moved all of their Pathways programming online. Moving quickly required a lot of energy, creativity and an acceptance that they needed to learn as they went and adapt to a new way of delivering our programmes. They are now sharing their learnings and tips here.
👉 They have made more than 400 matches since launching in early April but there are still many more requests for support from communities across the UK. Log your support here.
The Big Leadership Adventure is looking for leaders to get involved!
👉 The Big Leadership Adventure is a two year, deliberately different programme for leaders in schools and social enterprises, who are ready to think more expansively about the challenges faced in the education sector.The programme encourages and supports leadership in innovation and it empowers, enables and inspires the leadership required for a holistic education of the Head (academics), Heart (character and wellbeing) and Hand (creativity and making a difference) .
Deadline 1 June – Apply now to begin your journey!
Further information can be found on this document, and please contact info@bigeducation.org if you have any questions.
Asks for support
We are inspired by so many of your quick responses to address COVID-19 and want to support you in taking action. If you would like to see previous asks and offers for support, please click here.
Website developer needed to create a multi-media webpage
👉 The Literacy Pirates are looking for a website developer to create a multi-media web page. It needs to be a fun looking page that has audio files embedded within it. The Young Pirates aged 9-12 years old are writing stories this month which they record and send will be sending to them, therefore they need to publish and celebrate them online. If you can help get in touch here.
Investigation help: What is the number of students eligible for free school meals vs those accessing them?
👉 Step Up To Serve are currently investigating the number of students eligible for free school meals vs those who are actually managing to access them. They have found that there is a lot of information about parents / careers struggling to access the online voucher platforms, but no numbers. If you can help them with any numbers/ where to find this information please email us here and we will connect you.
Offers of support
If you haven't already, please fill out this short form with an ask for support (e.g. technical expertise, promotion, etc) or an offer of support (e.g. volunteers, expertise, supplies, etc). We will share responses with FEA members and broker relevant introductions.
Speakers for Schools is inviting you to participate in their pioneering Virtual Work Experience programme
👉They are offering organisations the opportunity to give young people their vital first experiences of work during Summer 2020. Getting involved is free and Speakers for Schools will help you to deliver meaningful work experience to young people. They have already worked with Spotify, Tesco, Marie Curie, Cisco and more. If you are interested in working with them to help more young people get prepared to enter the workplace get in touch with Lamorna Byford here or call +44 (0) 2075 493 694.
Help us build an online database of initiatives that are offering free services and products for young people, parents and educators.
A big thank you to all 60+ organisations who have contributed to date - the programmes and services you are offering are fantastic. As previously mentioned, we will be building on this list daily to ensure that it is focused on initiatives that are most accessible and valuable for disadvantaged young people and their families.
If you come across any other initiatives that are supporting our communities, please fill in the form as we’ll update the database on a daily basis.
Key events and meetings
👉 Within the space of a few weeks, The Sutton Trust moved from face-to-face programming to delivering a conference and work experience insight weeks for 336 students online. Join their session for those from universities, charities and outreach organisations as they share experiences, ideas and support.
During this interactive session, you will hear from The Sutton Trust Programmes team on:
The impact of COVID-19 - They will highlight the work their Research & Policy team is doing to understand the challenges faced by young people and the broader impact on social mobility.
Digital access insights - They will share their findings from a technology access survey completed by 12,500+ young people.
Our digital delivery learnings - They will share their experiences of moving quickly to adapt to digital delivery of our Pathways programmes and what they have learnt along the way.
Oracy Parliamentary Inquiry (16-06-2020)
The Oracy All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) is continuing to collect evidence for the Speak for Change Inquiry, which was launched last year and is seeking to improve the development of children’s oral communication skills in schools. This roundtable will be focused on gathering evidence to submit to the Speak for Change Inquiry. Submission deadlines are still to be confirmed.
Please RSVP to join the session on Tuesday, 16th June from 2:00-3:30pm.
Improving support for post-16 destinations (08-06-2020)
In this meeting we will be asking, how can we co-ordinate the support that is available for young people and how we can best help them to navigate it?
Please RSVP to join the session on Monday 8th June from 10:00-11.30.
Connections calls:
👉 Every Thursday from 3pm - 4pm, we’ll host a virtual meeting for FEA members to connect, hear developments from across the sector, share organisational updates and foster our relationships even during these unusual circumstances. We will be doing a quick recap of key developments outlined in our daily bulletins and then opening up for everyone on the call to share asks of support/offers of support/initiatives and discussion points. No need to register - just join on this link or dial in using +44 20 3855 5195 and Conference ID: 985 997 376#
Funding
Charities Aid Foundation COVID-19 Emergency Fund
👉 This is a rapid response fund to help smaller charitable organisations affected by the impact of COVID-19. They are giving out grants to help organisations with a charitable purpose and charitable activities, which had income of £1million or less to continue to deliver much needed support to our communities across the UK. Read more here.
We are inspired by the action that you have taken during this time and are grateful for your dedication. If there is anything else we can do to support you, please let us know.