Dr Sally Pearse, director of the Early Years Community Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam, warns in an article for Nursery World that the plans to change adult to child ratios in early years settings are ‘flawed’.
Greg Burke, Director for Place and Civic Engagement, spoke at an event held by the Office for Students (OfS) which explored the shared challenges and opportunities faced by schools, colleges, universities and third sector organisations as they work together to raise attainment and improve opportunities.
Case study discussion – Effective practice: Findings from South Yorkshire Futures (SYF) partnership.
You can find further information and videos on the event here.
Can you make a difference to a young person in South Yorkshire? We’re looking for 10 motivated graduates to take part in the GROW mentoring programme – supporting young people to re-engage with school following COVID-19.
This is a fantastic opportunity to inspire and motivate the next generation as they reflect on another challenging year of education and look forward to their GCSEs and A-levels and post-16 and 18 choices. Your role would be to support a small group of 14-18 year-olds at a crucial point in their education, and engage, motivate and encourage them to make the most of their school year.
As part of the programme, you’ll be paid to receive in-depth training in mentoring and coaching from our leading academics to support you to deliver the course, and you’ll gain invaluable work experience and personal development to enhance your own employability.
More information can be found out about the GROW Mentoring Programme and the previous South Yorkshire pilot scheme by checking out the GROW Mentoring Blog.
https://bit.ly/GROWMentoringJobsforGraduates
Applications are open until 3rd January 2022.
John Morgan, politics and policy reporter at Times Higher Education, has written about what ‘levelling up’ should look like in education. Following a visit to Sheffield Hallam last month, he writes about South Yorkshire Futures reaching neglected suburbs and towns, and how this could be model for government putting policy into practice.
South Yo
rkshire Futures, a social mobility partnership led by Sheffield Hallam, that is committed to improving education and raising aspiration for young people in the region has been highlighted by the Department of Education on social media as an example of best practice within the sector. South Yorkshire Futures was also praised by Universities Minister, Michelle Donelan, at a THE event earlier this week
Sheffield Hallam University and South Yorkshire’s four local authorities have created a new regional strategy to improve speech, language and communication skills for children under five. The Regional Speech, Language and Communications Skills Strategy aims to improve provision for children in early years settings across the region.
Alongside the strategy, the project team has created a website to help parents, carers and early years professionals in the region to support the development of children’s communication skills. The four local authorities (Sheffield, Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley) each have a dedicated section to support people in their area.
Richard Calvert, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, said: “I am delighted that, in partnership with South Yorkshire’s four local authorities, we are able to launch this Regional Speech, Language and Communications Skills Strategy today.
“Too many children in South Yorkshire still face significant barriers to fulfilling their potential. This strategy and the supporting resources will allow us to improve knowledge and services across the region, ensuring that children receive the right support to build the communications skills they need in the vital early years stage.”
Sue O’Brien, the Director of the GROW Mentoring Programme and Strategic Lead for South Yorkshire Futures, explains the importance of the university’s civic pledges and what it means to the region.
Today, Sheffield Hallam University launched the Civic University Agreement.
Our Civic University Agreement outlines our commitments to our local communities with a focus on:
- economy and jobs
- education and skills
- health and wellbeing
- community and regeneration
Funding to enable children to attend a new Sheffield Hallam University-led community nursery from their second birthday has been secured – providing support for families who need it most.
Earlier in 2021 the Civic University Network issued a blog written by the University of Gloucester, on their purchase of a former Debenhams building, and plans to include community space in its future use.
In a piece written for THE, Richard Calvert, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Sheffield Hallam and Chair of the Civic University Network Partner’s Group explores this theme further and suggests that there has never been a better opportunity for universities to consider how our spaces can facilitate better engagement with our local communities.
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