This week marks the end of our ‘All pupils, every ambition’ campaign, which launched in September 2021. Over the past 10 months, we’ve explored diverse issues affecting young people’s life chances and considered the vital role of governors in improving access to development opportunities. Thanks to the participation of a wide range of fantastic collaborators, we’ve produced a rich array of resources to help prospective and existing governors get to grips with the current education landscape, all of which you can find on our website.
In the first term of the campaign, entitled ‘Better than normal’ and made possible with help from GovernorHub, we explored how the COVID-19 pandemic widened existing attainment gaps and considered how governors can help address educational inequities. We produced a series of insightful articles, covering topics including leveraging parental engagement, utilising technology in education, catching up after lockdown, and how to broach the issue of attainment during board meetings. We also hosted an engaging webinar about tackling attainment gaps after lockdown.
As 2022 rolled around, we moved onto the second term of our campaign, ‘Future work’, made possible by support from Allen & Overy. This phase of the campaign shone a light on the importance of diversifying careers education and considered how schools can prepare young people for a changing job market. Our articles explored topics such as the benefits of appointing governors with business acumen and the role of link governors in supporting careers education. We also hosted several inspiring webinars, including a session that explored the changing world of employment.
After Easter, we transitioned to the third and final stage of the campaign, ‘Enriched education’. We partnered with a range of dynamic collaborators, including Young Citizens, Yes Futures, and the Global School Alliance, to explore how we can nurture well-rounded citizens through the development of soft skills in education. Our articles for this term provided plenty of food for thought, covering topics such as the importance of learning beyond the classroom and how we can build pupils’ resilience. We also concluded our webinar series on a high note, hosting a panel of experts to discuss practical ways governors can enrich education.
We would like to extend our warmest thanks to the many organisations and experts who lent their time to help us develop such a rich package of resources since the beginning of the campaign. Your assistance has been instrumental in delivering a highly informative collection of materials, and we hope to maintain strong ties as we look toward future campaigns.
Don’t forget materials from all our previous campaigns are accessible via our website. Whether you’re an existing or prospective governor, taking the time to explore these pages will introduce you to pressing issues affecting the governance landscape. We’re also hosting a two-day conference packed with exciting panel discussions on Tuesday, 27th September and Wednesday, 28th September. Do browse our conference timetable for further details and remember to register early.
Feeling inspired to further pupils’ ambitions? We’re always looking for volunteers…
One aim of the ‘All pupils, every ambition’ campaign is to encourage more people from diverse backgrounds to volunteer to become governors. If you’re feeling inspired, don’t hesitate to register your interest today! We also encourage you to share our resources with friends and family members who may be interested in getting involved.